FullMetal Alchemist: Life After
by The-SilverWolf-Alchemist
Summary: Ed and Al make it back to Amestris and meet a state alchemist hiding from the military. A mystery surrounds the girl and feelings develop. How will they handle it? EdxOC, AlxWin, some humor and romance, with a little angst.
1. Episode 1: Return

I will warn you now: sometimes I get into arguments with Edward for one reason or another.

**Ed:** That is not true!

**Me:** Yes it is and you know it! Must I give them an example, or will you be quiet and let me finish?

**Ed:** I will be quiet when you start the fanfic...

**Me:** See what I mean? Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**_Disclaimer:_ Sadly, I do not own FMA or any of its original characters. But I DO own my characters and they come into the story next chapter! At least, some of them do anyway...**

**Ed:** Now can you start the fanfic?

**Me:** Yeah! ENJOY!

* * *

_**Episode 1: Return**_

_2 months after the attack on Central:_

"Well, here we are," said Ed, as they walked up to the hotel. It wasn't a very...sturdy looking place, but it was the only hotel in that town.

"Are you sure?" asked Al.

"Yeah, I'm sure..." A piece of the roof fell off and landed in an alley with a loud BANG! "...I think." finished Ed.

As they walked through the front door they realized the inside looked slightly worse than the outside. The front desk was covered in empty or broken beer bottles and the man behind it was asleep, having had too many beers. The bell on the desk was old and rusted. Probably never even used. There were cobwebs in almost every corner and the floors were pretty dusty. Ed and Al were having second thoughts, and were about to leave, when the man behind the desk was startled.

"WHADDA YA THINK YUR DOIN'?" he yelled, as he started to hit something with an empty beer bottle. "THAT'LL TEACH YA NOT TO WAKE ME UP! Damn dirty rats. Whadda ya want?" he said when he saw the brothers and finished complaining.

Ed found himself unsure. "Uuuuuuuuhh..."

"We need a room sir. Just for the night," explained Al, although he was a little unsure whether he should have said anything or not. The man turned around, grabbed a key, and tossed it to Ed, who at the last second came out of his mindless state and caught the key. Al bowed and said, "Thank you, sir," and they headed to their room.

The man grumbled and settled back into his spot behind the counter. "Humph, midgets."

"A MIDGET, HUH?! COULD A MIDGET DO THIS?! NO ONE CALLS ME A MIDGET! I'LL SHOW YOU A MIDGET! WHAT ELSE YA WANT TO CALL ME, A SHORTNOSED, SHRIMPY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!" Ed yelled as he pummeled the drunkard a great deal before somehow kicking him into the next district. Obviously, some things hadn't changed.

It was probably the nicest room in the entire hotel. No dust, no cobwebs, no mouse or rat holes, not to mention the windows were clean. Al sat his stuff down on his bed and ran to the window. Ed sat his things down as well and just stared at his little brother, remembering all the fun times they'd had as kids. Al was wearing clothes similar to what Edward was and had been wearing for 2 years and 2 months now. Al had cut his hair short again, but it had begun to grow back. Ed hadn't changed his appearance in any way. Through the window, a small field and the woods could be seen.

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Al asked suddenly and he looked back at his brother, who stood there with a sad look on his face. Ed wasn't sure if he should be honest or lie. With a smile, Ed said, "Sure, maybe." Al smiled and looked back out the window.

_3 hours 'til midnight The Rockbell's house: _

That night, back in 1917 on the other side of the gate, Winry was up late working on a new model of Edward's arm. Even though she thought they'd never come back, she couldn't think of doing anything else. The problem was she was so busy thinking about Ed and Al that she didn't realize she'd made some errors in the design. In fact, when she did notice, it was too late to go back and fix it. Overall, it looked great, but it was too thin; kind of feminine looking, really. Winry sighed and finished the arm. She'd done the same thing with the leg, too.

"...I miss them," she said. She didn't realize that her grandmother had gone to bed an hour ago. She made some last adjustments, put the automail limbs away, and headed for bed. Before she could reach the stairs, there was a knock on the door. Winry opened the door to find Roy Mustang standing on her porch.

_Back in Germany, 1923: _

Meanwhile, Al sat staring out the window while Ed tightened a loose screw. They had gotten into an argument earlier that day, and had ended up wrestling each other in the process. Sometime during the fight, a screw had popped out of place and Edward's right hand had gone limp.

"Brother...I've been thinking..." Al said.

"…About what?" Ed asked, after tightening the screw.

"Going home," and at that, Edward froze. Al turned and looked at his brother. "I think I know how to get us back home," Ed continued fixing his hand. "All we have to do is-"

"I know what you're thinking, and it won't work," Edward interrupted.

"But brother-" Al tried to continue, but Ed stood up suddenly and slammed his good hand on the table he'd brought up.

"Darn it, Al, I've told you before! We can't use alchemy on this side of the gate." Al waited for Edward to calm down again before saying, "Not alone..." Ed turned and stared at his little brother. Then, he calmly sat down, sighed, and said, "What do you mean?"

"Two months ago, before I came here with you, I told Roy to go to Winry's and draw a transmutation circle on her floor and activate at midnight tonight. At that exact same time we would do the same. The gate would open like before, we'd pass through, and be back home by at least 12:01." Al paused and waited for a response. Ed just sat there, staring at him. He'd really thought this out. After he explained the plan in more detail, they took the next 2 hours and 55 minutes to gather everything they would need for the transmutation: chalk, a flock of sheep that, 4 suits of armor, 2 suitcases containing their clothes and belongings, and Edward wrote a letter to Noa, who was supposed to meet them at the hotel the next morning. With it, he left the screw from his hand that he had fixed earlier. It explained where they'd gone, why, and the fact that they wouldn't be coming back; as well as other things.

Back at Winry's, Roy had prepared as well, although in a slightly different way. While drawing the circle, he explained everything to Winry, who was shocked, yet thrilled, to hear that Ed and Al were coming back.

In a clearing in the woods, Ed and Al finished drawing the circle and then quickly put their stuff in 2 of the suits, placed the flock on the circle _(don't ask how)_, put all 4 suits in the center, and got inside the empty suits, taking off the hands so they could activate the circle. As it reached closer to midnight, they all waited quietly and patiently in their places.

"Ok, ready?" Ed asked. Al nodded and readied himself to activate the circle. Ed did the same.

Al started the countdown. "3..."

"2..." Roy counted on his side.

"...1!" Ed cried as all 3 clapped and activated their circles. The next few moments were a blur as sheep disappeared, lights flashed, and a falling sensation ended abruptly with a loud BOOM! BANG! CLANG, as the suits hit the wooden floor of Winry's dining room. It was quiet for awhile before Winry said, "Ed…Al…that you?" At the sound of her voice, Al threw off the helmet and quickly crawled out of the opening while Ed kicked open the chest plate. Both of them looked at Winry and smiled. Winry, almost in tears, threw herself to her knees and hugged them both. They were finally home.

The next day was a happy one indeed. Ed and Al told Winry, Roy, and Pinako of their time in Germany, Winry showed Ed the automail she'd been working on, and everyone got to enjoy eggs, bacon, and juice for breakfast, and stew for lunch. Edward was scolded when Winry found out about the missing screw and replaced it, of course, and Roy told stories about the last 2 months back at Central…which were quite entertaining by the way. Ed, Al, and Winry even got to go down to the river and do something they hadn't done since they were kids: play. The next day, Roy returned to Central and that day ended just like the day before. That night, Winry told Ed and Al of a city she'd heard about recently.

"Hyda? Never heard of it," said Edward, confused.

"It's a city about a 2 days train ride from here," said Alphonse. "They've had some major problems in the last 2 years. A flood, 3 fires, 6 severe thunder storms with no rain, a drought, constant animal attacks, and some witnesses say they've seen large monsters of some sort in the middle of each disaster and a large dog of some kind involved in the attacks."

"Half of the city is nothing but ruins now," Winry added. Edward stared at the floor, thinking over everything he'd just heard. That city had too many problems for them to be natural.

"Hmmmmm… Al, I think we need to check this place out."

-----------

"You just got back and you're leaving already?" asked Winry. Ed and Al had already loaded their things onto the train and had come back out to say goodbye before they left.

"We're sorry Winry. We would stay longer, but this sounds too important to just forget about," said Al.

"There could be an alchemist involved and we can't let more people get hurt," Ed added, "Besides, we'll be back."

"Well, come back in one piece, ok?" said Winry.

"We will." Ed and Al chimed. With that, they said their goodbyes and got on the train. Before the train began to pick up speed, Al said, "Oh! I almost forgot..." He reached in his pocket, stuck his head through a window, called to Winry and tossed her something small and shiny. They both waved goodbye and closed the window, taking their seats as the train picked up speed.

"Want to play a few games of cards?" Al proposed.

Ed grinned. "You're on!"

Winry watched the train disappear before looking down at what Al had tossed her: a ring made of polished automail with the words "Love You" carved into the inner side.

* * *

**Me:** Well, that's episode 1. I'll post episode 2 in a couple weeks. I already have it typed up, but I want to see how this goes first. Please rate and review!-

**Ed:** _*YAWN*_ Can I go to bed now?

**Me:** I never said you couldn't go to bed, Edward.

**Ed:** Yeah, well you tend to keep talking to me at night which keeps me up…

**Me:** I do not! Anyway, see ya next episode!

**Ed:** I HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN?!

**Me:** Yep! For another 30 or more episodes!

**Ed:** ...I'm going to bed. G' Night!

**Me:** Would you like some milk before bed?

**Ed:** KEEP THAT VILE WHITE LIQUID AWAY FROM ME! IT'S THE DRINK FROM HELL! _*Slams bedroom door shut*_

**Me:** Geez! _*gulps down milk*_ It's just milk. I think I'll trick him into drinking it, next time. Anyway, please rate and review!


	2. Episode 2: Hyda

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own FMA or any of its characters. But I do own the 2 characters you meet in this chapter. And I think Edward is HOTT! H-O-T-T, HOTT! Vic Mignogna is the coolest!

* * *

_**Episode 2:Hyda**_

_Day 2, arriving in Hyda_

When they left, they'd played a few games of poker - if I'm right, Al won 90 percent of the time - but then it wasn't long before they fell asleep. So, they basically slept most of the way. When they woke up, the train was coming to a stop. They got up, stretched, and quickly grabbed their suitcases, knowing the train wouldn't wait. Ed and Al stepped off the train and stopped. It was HUGE! Even with half of it in ruins. _(Imagine almost every building about half/just as tall as the largest building in Central)_

"Heh heh, let's hope the hotel is just as nice." Ed laughed slightly.

"Yeah" Al agreed. They continued to walk through the streets, searching for the hotel. Unfortunately, all they did was go in circles and get themselves lost.

"Let's ask someone for directions." Al suggested after a couple of hours.

"We're not asking for the directions. I know where I'm going." Ed protested

"How could you know where you're going if you've never been here before?" Al had him there.

"....Natural sense of direction." was Ed's only come back. They asked the nearest resident where to find the hotel. They did as she said and headed to the marketplace. Once there, they followed it to the eastern side of town. Like the rest of Hyda, the hotel was amazing and huge. _(Tall huge, not wide huge)_ Really, the only thing going through their minds then was, _Will we even be able to afford a room here?_ They both walked inside and headed to the front desk.

"Excuse me?" Ed called. The lady at the front desk turned around and smiled.

"Yes? How may I help you?"

"We need a room for a couple days."

"No problem. Now let's see...that's a room for two for 2 nights...That'll be 12,000," the lady smiled.

"12,000?!" Ed and Al were both shocked.

"Yep! Here in Hyda, we don't over charge anything. Here's the key to your room and we hope you enjoy your stay here in Hyda."

Ed and Al climbed the stairs to their room, completely confused. The next morning, they left their stuff there and checked out the marketplace. Stores in the buildings, small shops on the street _(more like long tables w/ tarps on poles over them for shade)_; it was amazing. People did crowd this street in particular, but there was still plenty of room to move around. Ed and Al walked down the street, stopping now and then to look at some shops. When they came to the end of the street _(west side of town)_, they turned around and headed back towards the hotel.

_Here we meet 2 other characters, Sara and Kayla_

Kayla laid out more pieces on the table; they certainly were busy today. She'd sold over 109 pieces of jewelry in only 2 hours. Kayla was 18 and about 5'8" tall. She had dirty blonde hair which stopped at her shoulder blades, and she always had the top layer braided. Her eyes were deep green, like her mother's, and today she was wearing a simple brown dress with a white T-shirt underneath. Kayla was about to turn around and look through another box when she noticed someone approaching the table wearing a brown cloak. The hood was up, but she recognized them instantly.

"Hey Sara. A little hot to be wearing a cloak today, don't ya think?" Sara joined her in the shade of the tarp and lowered her hood. She had long, dark brown hair with her bangs highlighted in copper. She was 16, going on 17; tomorrow was her 17th birthday. Her eyes were brown, but had a sort of amber or gold sheen to them. Kayla had to admit, her friend was beautiful, even if Sara herself said otherwise. Probably the only thing about her that really stuck out was her height; for her age, she was quite short. And she knew it. _(Basically, if you put her right next to Edward, she'd be about the same height, or an inch shorter than him. Oh, and Ed grew about 3 inches in 2 yrs and 2 months. So he's about 5'5", which doesn't change much because he's still short, and obviously he still hates being called short.(Ed in the back:"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Me: nothing))_

"So, how's business today?" Sara asked with a smile.

"Booming! I've sold 109, hold on...Thank you, and have a nice day...112 pieces in 2 hours and..." Kayla checked her watch, "...5 minutes!"

"Well keep it up, and maybe your mom will get you that radio you want so badly!" Sara laughed.

"Or we could buy you some nice clothes. I'm just curious, but when are you going to get a boyfriend? I've already had 5, and in all the years I've known you, you haven't had one! I mean..." That was basically where Sara tuned out. She stopped listening to look in the street. Something, or more like someone, had caught her eye, and he was right across the street.

Ed and Al continued looking through the shops as they headed back. They'd missed a couple on the way, and by now Al was interested in finding shops he found interesting. Ed just followed him. Al stopped by one store to look at something on the table that had caught his eye earlier. While Ed waited for him to finish, he decided to just look around _(while standing there of course)_. That's when he saw her. Across the street from him, a girl with dark brown hair, copper bangs, wearing a cloak _(hood down)_ was staring at him. Actually, he wasn't sure who or what exactly she was staring at, but it was in his general direction. She was standing behind the table of one of the shops. The girl next to her was about the same age as her, he guessed, and appeared to be talking to herself. That or the other girl was talking to her and tuned out. _(Good guess)_ Ed and Sara didn't know it, but they were thinking the exact same thought at that moment.

_I don't know why, but I can't stop staring at her/him._

"Ed...ED...EEED!" Al yelled, trying to get his attention.

"What?!" Ed said, looking at Al.

"What were you staring at?"

"Well, this girl was..." he turned to point to her, but she'd disappeared. "Huh?" Ed said, confused.

"What girl?" Al asked.

"Hold on..." Ed ran over to the shop, Al right behind him. When they reached it, they stopped when they saw what the girl's friend was selling. They were very fine, beautiful pieces of jewelry that seemed to be made of polished metal.

"Hi, I'm Kayla. How can I help you?" she said.

"Um 2 questions: first, what is all this made of?" Ed asked. Al nodded; it seemed to confuse him, too.

"Everything you see here is made of polished and transmuted automail."

"Really? I didn't know you could do that with automail!" Al said, impressed.

"Who made these, exactly? I don't know of any alchemists this talented." Ed picked up an automail necklace and studied it.

"A friend of mine, actually. She's known as the Silver Wolf Alchemist. Ever heard of her?"

"No," Ed answered. He rarely heard of any state alchemists nowadays.

"She must be new if she's a member of the military," Al suggested.

"She's not. She's been a state alchemist for about 5 years now, and she hates the military. She stopped taking assignments 2 years ago."

Ed put the necklace down and Al said, "That's weird. She sounds a lot like you, Ed."

"Oh! So you're a state alchemist, too?" Kayla asked, looking at Edward.

"Yeah. I'm Edward Elric, by the way. Also known as the Full Metal Alchemist. This is my little brother Alphonse."

"Nice to meet you. So your friend made these using alchemy?" Al asked.

"Yeah, she's very talented." Kayla inspected Edward up and down, taking in and memorizing everything she could so she could tell Sara about him later. "Are you single?" she asked suddenly.

"WHA-!" Ed said, confused. No one had ever really asked him that before.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked again.

"Uuuuuuhh...no, why?"

"No reason," she said going back to the table, smiling an evil smile. Ed and Al stared at her suspiciously.

"Oh! Umm...who was that girl you were talking to earlier?" Ed asked.

_Oh, this couldn't be more perfect_ she thought. "Why? You want to meet her?"

"Would I be asking otherwise?"

"Hee-hee, good point. Just hold on a sec." Kayla sold another 20 pieces before closing up shop for the day. She led Ed and Al to her house on the edge of town. She lived only a block away from the hotel they were staying in, making the trip back much easier.

"Well, this is my stop. If you like, I can take you to her place."

Edward was about to object, "No we-"

"Actually if you don't mind..." Al interrupted.

"No, not at all. I'll be right back." Kayla went inside and gave her mother the money. "Ok, let's go." She said when she came back out.

-----------

"She LIVES in a JUNKYARD?!" Kayla had led them about half a mile out of town to the junkyard.

"Yeah, it's where she gets the automail needed to make jewelry," she answered. The junkyard fence was made of wood and about 20ft high, barbed wire lining the top. The junkyard itself was about a quarter of an acre in size. The entrance was only 10ft high and both doors made it 8ft in length. Ed and Al just stared at it.

"Well, are you coming in?" Kayla had already opened the doors and was waiting for them to follow. Ed and Al stopped staring and walked inside.

"Why does she live here? Couldn't she take them home with her?" Al asked innocently. Kayla looked at Al with a sad face and turned away from them. "Brother, did I say something wrong?"

"I'm not sure..." Ed whispered back.

Kayla looked back at them smiling and said, "Well, let's get started!"

"What do you mean?" Ed asked, confused.

Kayla closed the doors and explained, "Well, if you want to meet her, we'll have to get through the maze."

"Maze? WHAT MAZE!" Ed asked again. Kayla pointed toward the beginning of the maze.

"That maze. Boys, you've just entered the Wolf Labyrinth."

"Huh?" Al didn't get it.

"Why's it called the 'Wolf Labyrinth'?" Ed asked. Suddenly a wolf howl could be heard from somewhere in the maze, followed by 3 others.

Kayla grinned. "That's why."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Please R&R.

**Ed:** Sorry I'm late! Wait, you finished the chapter already!

**Me:** Yeah. Where were you anyway?

**Ed:** I got lost in your stupid maze again. Anyway guys, see ya next episode!


	3. Episode 3: The Labyrinth

Enjoy and there will be a lot of yelling name calling and such! You know Ed!!

**Sara:** I love him so!! He's so HOTT and SEXY!! I won't tell HIM that, though. Who knows how he'd react, right? Someday, I'll tell him that I lov-

**Ed:** Hey, am I late?

**Sara:** -looove ramen!! Yeah, great stuff!! Hi Ed!! _(That was close...)_

**Me:** Nope, you're right on time!!

**Ed:** Hey, what did you type up there?

**Sara:** covers screen OH NOTHING!! She doesn't own FMA or its characters!! She owns me and Kayla and some of the other characters that show up later, enjoy!!

* * *

_**Episode 3:**_

_Enter the Labyrinth_

"AAAAAAAAAHH!" Ed and Al yelled

"Hey, be quiet would you!" Kayla tried to convince them.

"YOU JUST FED US TO THE WOLVES and you want us to be QUIET?!" Ed yelled again.

"Well, pipsqueak, if you'd stop trying to climb the walls and let me expl-"

"WHO YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK MIDGET!" During this argument, Al was currently doing one of 2 things: trying to climb over the wall, or find another way out, and it wasn't going very well.

"Brother, there's no way out! We can't climb, and the doors won't open!"

"Then we'll just have to make one!" Ed and Al clapped their hands and pressed them to the wall. There was a flash of light...but nothing else; no door appeared in the wall.

"What happened?"

"More like what didn't happen..." Kayla sighed, "I tried to tell you, once you've entered, the only way out is to complete the maze."

"But what about..."

"Don't worry, I'll be coming too. Lucky for you guys she lets us use..." Kayla stopped and looked at the wall next to the entrance of the maze, where there was a small flash and a drawer slid out of the wall.

"Oh, there they are." Kayla ran over and rummaged through the drawer while Ed and Al walked over to see what she was doing.

"What are you looking for?" Al asked. Kayla pulled out three 3" long white sticks, "These."

"Chalk?" Ed asked, a bit skeptical.

"Yep, to mark our way. Let's go!" And with that, Kayla grabbed their hands and dragged them into the maze.

_5 minutes later..._

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Ed, Al, and Kayla were running for their lives as a boulder chased after them.

"YOU DIDN'T MENTION ANY TRAPS!" Ed yelled at Kayla

"WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT MAKING SURE TO KEEP ASKING IF SHE UPGRADED THE MAZE A BIT!"

"A BIT?! YOU CALL THIS A BIT?!" Al yelled.

_Flashback:_

Kayla, Ed, and Al had taken their first left turn after entering the maze. Both brothers noticed the walls of the maze were made of scraps that seemed to be pressed together. They only took 5 more steps and Al tripped.

"Al, you ok?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, but what did I trip on?" All 3 looked at Al's feet and saw a wire that was barely even noticeable. When Al stood, his foot tugged the wire. At first there was just a small click, but then darts started shooting out of nowhere.

"AAAAAHH!" All 3 of them were dodging, ducking, and jumping out of the way of the darts while trying to make it to the other side. By the time they made it to the other side, they were gasping for air some 10 steps away from that area.

"Whew, that was close..." said Ed, as he leaned on the wall. When something in the wall sunk inward, Ed jumped out of the way as a trap door opened up where he once stood. Soon they were just running down any hallway they could to avoid trapdoors, darts, guns in the walls, etc., etc., and now a boulder.

End flashback.

"OK, SO SHE UPGRADED A LOT, SO SUE ME!" Kayla defended.

"YOU'LL BE LUCKY THAT'S ALL I DO TO YOU IF WE GET OUT OF THIS ALIVE!"

"OVER THERE!" Al pointed to another path that branched off from the one they were on. All of them dove for the new pathway and watched as the boulder rolled by. Al sighed, "That was cl-" Ed covered his mouth, "Don't say it!"

_Another 10 minutes..._

Ed, Al, and Kayla were lucky they hadn't come across anymore traps, but now they were exhausted and hungry.

"She must not like having visitors..." Al observed with a groan.

"Actually, I think these traps were meant for the military, to scare them away..." Kayla pointed out. Only she knew who her best friend.

"Scare them away? It seems to me she wants to kill them not scare them." Ed let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's highly possible..." Kayla said with a nervous laugh.

"But if these traps weren't here before, then why now all of a sudden?" Al asked.

"I think it's because she's been getting letters from the military recently. Plus no-" Kayla started.

"Shhhh," Ed shushed.

"Don't interu-"

"Shh...You hear that?" Al and Kayla stopped and listened.

"Brother, I don't hear anything."

"...exactly." They were stopped at a 4-way intersection of paths.

"Look..." Al pointed down one pathway where a wolf was standing a good distance away.

"Oh, don't worry. Wolves are pack hunters and they usually don't attack people unless they feel threatened," Kayla informed. Another wolf came around a corner and joined the first one. They both seemed to stare at the group for a sec before suddenly dashing towards them.

"AAAAAAAAHH!" Ed, Al, and Kayla once again ran for their lives, this time 2 wolves on their tails.

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU SAID ABOUT WOLVES NOT ATTACKING PEOPLE?!" Ed yelled.

"OH, GIVE IT A REST SHRIMP!"

Al started counting down to the explosion. "3, 2, 1..."

"I'M NOT A SHRIMP!"

"OH YEAH! PROVE IT!" Kayla suddenly picked up speed.

"COME BACK HERE!" and so did Ed,

"HEY, WAIT UP!" and Al.

Kayla eventually stopped running when she came to a dead-end. She made a quick side step as Ed ran past, ran into the wall, and then fell to the ground a little dazed. Al came to an abrupt stop when he tripped over Edward, and also landed on top of him.

"Ow...Al...Get off..."

"Sorry brother..." Al stood quickly and helped his brother up. When the wolves rounded the corner, they all backed up against the wall. The wolves came closer and closer...And just as they leaped towards them, the wall they were backed up against disappeared in a flash of light and they fell backwards onto the ground. The wolves jumped over them and ran off somewhere that Ed couldn't see from his current position.

"Well, well, well...You know, you guys are very noisy, and loud," said a female voice. Confused, Ed turned over on his side and looked up to see a girl about his age with long, dark brown hair, copper bangs, and she was wearing a white spaghetti-strap shirt with a red hoodie (open) on over it, baggy jeans, white gloves, and black boots.

_Why is she wearing an over shirt and pants in this weather?_ Ed stood up, followed by Al. Kayla had already been up at the sound of her friend's voice. Ed noticed Al was watching the wolves, which were behind the girl some 8ft away. When Ed looked back at the girl, she was staring at him.

"What?" When Ed noticed her eyes, he remembered the girl back at the marketplace.

"Ed, Al, this is Sara. Sara, this is Edward-" Kayla introduced.

"Hi," Ed greeted.

"-and his little brother, Alphonse."

"Nice to meet you," Al greeted with a nervous smile.

"Likewise..." Sara responded bluntly. She was still staring at Ed and vice versa.

_Hmmm...I wonder..._ Kayla thought.

Ed and Sara eventually realized something about each other. "You were the girl/guy at the marketplace!"

"Brother, this is the girl you saw?"

"Sara, you were looking at him in the marketplace? Oooooo, Sara has a crush on Ed!" Kayla sang happily.

"I DO NOT! I just noticed how much he stood out in the crowd, his being so SHORT and all!"

"3, 2, 1..." Kayla and Al both counted.

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SHORT YOU HAVE TO USE A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO SEE HIM?!"

"YOU, BEANSPROUT!"

"OH YEAH! WELL IF I'M THE BEANSPROUT, WHAT'S THAT MAKE YOU, SHORTY?!"

"THAT'S IT!" Sara pounced on Ed and the fight began. Kayla and Al watched, wide-eyed and amazed.

"...Wow, ever seen that happen before?" Kayla asked, turning to Al. Al shook his head no and watched as Ed and Sara chased each other back and forth, yelling random comebacks. Al sat in the nearest seat and said, "They'll get tired eventually..." Kayla joined him, sitting on a different chair.

"Yeah, all we can do now is wait..."

"...did you plan this?"

"Plan what?"

"Sara and Ed meeting each other and ending up fighting each other?" Al lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh, Al, whatever gave you that idea? Heh-heh..." Kayla laughed nervously.

* * *

**Me:** If you can't tell, I'm trying to make it funny here and there. Please, please, PLEASE rate and review. Thankies!!

**Ed:** Or just review, and why won't you let me see that thing you typed at the top of the page?

**Sara:** Because you don't need to!!

**Ed:** And why not?

**Sara:** Because...it's not important that's why!!

**Me:** Anyway, please review if you have any concerns, complaints, suggestions on how I can make this better, questions, or comments!


	4. Episode 4: Birthday Celebration

**Ed:** _(runs into room in nothing but his boxers)_ WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!

**Sara:** I hid them. _(Grins)_

**Me:** Good thing you did too. _(Sara and I start laughing)_

**Ed:** What's so funny?

**Sara:** N-Nothing...except that you ran in here in just your boxers!

**Ed:** TELL ME WHERE MY CLOTHES ARE!!

**Sara:** You'll have to catch me first, PIPSQUEAK!! _(runs out the door)_

**Ed:** _(runs after her)_ WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE'S A FROSTED MINI WHEAT?!?!?!!

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own FMA, but I do own my characters! And, you get to meet a new one this episode!!

* * *

_**Episode 4: Birthday Celebration**_

_A few hours later..._

The argument raged on for what seemed like forever before Kayla decided to leave. The sun had just set below the horizon, but it still filled the sky with its orange glow. Al was now sleeping on the ground where he'd been sitting most of the day. The wolves, which there were four of, sat and watched as their master was chased by this awkward stranger. Two of the wolves were brothers, one older and one younger. Their fur was a golden color similar to that of Ed's hair. The younger brother was slightly smaller than his older brother, and their eyes differed too. The older brother had amber eyes, and the younger had gold. Sort of makes you think of Ed and Al. The other two were twins, brother and sister. The brother was black with ice blue eyes, and his sister was white with silver eyes.

Sara couldn't run anymore. Her legs gave way and she fell to her knees, gasping for air. Edward, too, had used up all of his energy and sat on the ground to catch his breath.

"Hey...Sara...why were...we...fighting, again?" Ed asked between breaths.

"Honestly...I forget...Hey, where did Kayla go?" Sara huffed.

Edward looked around and saw that she wasn't there. "I guess she went home."

"Well, I don't blame her. It's getting late." Sara said with a quick glance at the sky.

It was, in fact, very late as the sun's orange glow was now beginning to fade, and the evening sky began to fill with stars.

"I think it's time for you two-" Sara started, but stopped when she saw Edward asleep on the ground. She sighed and walked over to the exit of the maze, which was the way Kayla, Ed, and Al had taken there in the first place. She clapped her hands together and used alchemy to change the doorway back into a wall. Looking back behind her she stared at Ed, who was sound asleep.

"Kyra, get Edward a blanket please." she asked one of the wolves.

"Ok!" said the white female, who ran and fetched a blanket from a pile in the corner.

"And Trevor, you get one for Alphonse," she told the younger male.

"Sure," he said, and did the same as Kyra, who was already setting it before Sara. Sara waited 'til Trevor set his down as well, and then told them and their siblings to go to bed. They obeyed and retreated through a hole in another wall which led to a smaller room, big enough for all four of them to sleep in.

Sara picked up one blanket and covered Al first, then doing the same for Ed. She stared at them both, wondering if she could trust them, before heading to a corner where a mattress lay on the ground, a pillow fashioned from rolled up blankets lying at one end and a blanket pushed towards the other. She laid down on the mattress covered up and closed her eyes, thinking _What if they're from the military and they're just here to get me? Then again, if that were true, he would've tried to arrest or kill me instead of getting into an argument...I guess I'll just have to wait 'til tomorrow..._ before drifting into a deep sleep.

Ed woke the next morning to two pairs of eyes, just staring at him; one pair was silver, and the other gold. Edward was paralyzed, as stiff as a log on the ground. When they didn't move either, he attempted to move his hand. Still no movement. He raised it further and further until he had his hand rested on one of their heads. It was the white female he was touching. When he began to scratch behind her right ear, she leaned into it, enjoying every second. Ed smiled. The younger male took this as a sign that it was ok and started licking Edward's face, his way of saying good morning.

"H-Hey cut it out!" Edward laughed. The white female nudged the younger male with her nose, and he stopped and walked off somewhere else.

Edward sat up quickly, glancing around the space he was in. He couldn't find how they'd gotten there before; it just seemed to have disappeared. From where he was, he could see that the space was about 50-60 feet long, 30-40 in width. He sat right in the middle, Alphonse asleep on the ground by the wall on his right. The wall in front of him had a small hole where the younger male wolf retreated. To his left and behind him the walls had nothing else to show, except scraps. In fact, there were piles of scrap metal along two of the four walls and in three corners. The only empty corner he had to turn to look at. The northeast corner was empty except for a mattress, a pillow and a blanket. Two piles of scrap left enough space around the mattress for movement and created two extra walls, leaving a small alcove where it contained the "bed". There was an opening, of course, and through it Ed could clearly see Sara, still asleep in bed.

_She looks so peaceful..._ he thought. It took Ed a second to notice that both he and Al were covered with blankets, and that they weren't there before. Ed smiled at the fact that she cared enough to cover two strangers with blankets so they wouldn't get sick. When Edward looked back at her he noticed her blanket had slipped down to her waist; probably sometime during the night. _Good thing she sleeps in her clothes..._ He blushed at the thought of her not wearing clothes to bed. Ed stood up and walked over to the side of her bed. Kneeling down on one knee, carefully picking up the edge of her blanket so he didn't wake her, Ed pulled the blanket up over her shoulder. Without thinking, he brushed a few stray hairs out of her face, noticing a slight smile cross her lips as she slept. He stood once again and walked back towards the white female, who was folding his blanket with her mouth. "Heh heh. You look like you've done this before."

The white female looked up and said, "Well, actually, I do this every day."

Ed stared at her in shock. "...D-Did you just...speak?"

"Yeah. My name's Kyra, by the way...maybe you should sit down, you look a little pale." she said. Edward sat on the ground, still staring at her in shock. "I'm sorry if I shocked you a bit," she said, "You seem really nice. Plus, most people can't hear or understand us, so we usually keep quiet."

Ed took a second to go back through what she'd just said. "We? You mean the others can talk, too?"

"Yeah."

About 30 minutes later, Sara finally opened her eyes. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Edward talking to Kyra. Wait...Edward...talking to Kyra? That couldn't be right. _My head must be playing tricks on me..._ Sara yawned, stretched, stood, and walked over to them listening to the conversation. Kyra was asking questions and Ed would answer the best he could, which meant that he could understand her.

Ed stopped when he noticed Sara walking over. "Good morning, Sara!" he greeted.

"Oh, good morning," Sara answered, still a little confused.

Edward stood up, patting Kyra on the head as he did so. "Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. Perhaps a more proper introduction is in order."

"That'd be a start..." Sara laughed slightly.

Ed held out his hand and Sara shook it. "I'm Edward Elric."

"Sara Hatoshi-wwait, Edward Elric? THE Edward Elric, hero of the people?"

_Uh-oh..._ Ed thought. "Yeah..." Edward smiled nervously. Usually such a reaction meant he was in big trouble.

Sara just stared at him. "Wow, you're much different than I'd imagined..." she said finally.

"What? You expected me to be taller, right?"

"Well, no, that's not what I meant. I had imagined that the Full Metal Alchemist was a man in about his thirties or forties, and being strong and muscular, or something to that extent."

Ed was confused. A man in his thirties or forties?

"But you're much younger than that, and better lookin-" She covered her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that out loud and now both she and Ed were blushing. Not only that, but they also realized their hands were still clasped together, and they quickly let go of each other's hands.

_An hour later..._

The walk back was silent. Al had been awake during Ed and Al's conversation and he thought it was amusing. They were in town now and had just passed the hotel on their way to Kayla's house. It didn't take long to reach it, either. Sara walked up the steps and knocked on the door, all thought of earlier vanished from her mind.

"Come in!" was the response. Edward heard the voice as Sara opened the door and walked in, "I'm in the kitchen and Kayla's at work! She should be home soon!" _That voice...it sounds so familiar..._ Something about the voice had struck an old chord in him, and wasn't sure why.

"Ok! I brought some friends with me!" Sara called back.

Without waiting and out of curiosity, Edward walked into the kitchen to find out whose voice it was. Once he reached the kitchen he stopped, frozen in place. _...it can't be..._ In front of the sink, washing dishes was a woman with long brown hair and beautiful green eyes, wearing a light blue dress with short white sleeves. _...she looks...just like mom..._ The woman turned to face him just as Al walked up from behind, having the same reaction as his brother when he saw the familiar face. Suddenly, Edward collapsed and fell to the floor.

"Brother!"

Thirty minutes passed, and Edward finally opened his eyes to find Sara and Alphonse leaning over him.

"You're awake!" A smile formed on Al's face.

"You feeling ok, dear?" the woman asked.

"Yeah..." Edward still seemed a little confused as Sara introduced the woman to him. "Ed, this Kayla's mom Charis. Charis, this is Edward Elric."

"Elric?" Realization dawned on her as Charis glanced from one brother to the other and back. "Was your mother's name Trisha?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Al answered, now slightly confused as well

Charis seemed to hesitate a moment. "Because...Trisha was my twin sister."

It had been a surprise to everyone. After about an hour, Edward and Alphonse knew why they hadn't known anything about Charis before now. She'd told them that it was a long train ride to Risembool from Hyda and most of the time the trains were being repaired, so she didn't visit often. She said she'd heard about Trisha's death and later asked how their father was doing. When the boys didn't answer and glanced at the floor, she could see the answer on their faces. Of course, soon after, Kayla came home from work and Charis told her that Ed and Al were her cousins. She got excited and started talking non-stop, dancing around the living room like a hyper little girl. This, of course, lightened the mood and Charis suggested that while they're in Hyda they might as well stay with family. They agreed and rushed back to the hotel to grab their luggage.

----------

Sara lay on the couch, one arm covering her eyes to block out the light. It was 12:30 in the afternoon and, like usual, no one seemed to care she was alive...except Ed, who stopped and asked her, "You ok?" He had his long, brown coat off now, revealing a white button-up shirt under a brown vest with its baggy sleeves rolled up. Plus, he wasn't wearing his gloves.

"Does your automail ever rust?" she asked.

Ed was a little surprised by the question. "No. Why?"

"...Because mine does." Sara, for the first time since he'd met her, took off her gloves and hoodie, revealing the rest of her white spaghetti-strap shirt and her arms. Her right arm was made of automail up to her shoulder, just like Ed's. Edward stared at her in shock, not because she had automail, but the state it was in. The socket in shoulder looked like it was Winry's design, but the rest of it didn't even seem to be made of the same metal. The upper arm seemed to be corroding and collapsing in on itself, and the forearm was just as, if not, worse. The hand looked ok...mostly. In fact, the base seemed to be the only well-maintained portion of her arm.

"What happened?" was all he managed to say.

"Idiot mechanic couldn't make automail. He had to order the base from out of town. As for how I got this way..." she placed her left hand on her mechanical shoulder, "Let's just say something went wrong."

They were both quiet for quite some time before Kayla walked into the room, all smiles and giggles and bleh...

"Aw, why so sad guys? Come on, cheer up! Besides, I've got a surprise for you..." Kayla told them, in an obvious sing-song manner.

"What is it?" Sara asked.

"We're going out to eat tonight, and guess where we're going..."

Sara cheered up immediately, a huge grin spreading across her face. The room was instantly filled with the sound of two excited, squealing girls, and Sara launched herself off the couch, ran over to Kayla, and enveloped her in a strong bear hug, screaming "THANK YOU!" over and over again. Edward was lucky that he wasn't deaf now.

"What the hell are you two screaming about?" he asked, shaking his head briefly to clear the ringing noise out of his ears.

"Sara, you didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?"

"...It's my birthday today," Sara said, somewhat embarrassed for some strange reason.

"Oh! Well happy birthday!"

"Thanks." Sara had a slight blush on her cheeks.

"So where are you guys going that's got you so excited?" Ed asked.

"To the Four Seasons!" Kayla answered.

"Four Seasons?" Ed repeated, confused.

"It's a fancy restaurant." Sara explained.

"Hey! Maybe Ed and Al can come with us! We're not leaving 'til later, though. Why don't you and Ed go out for the rest of the day, or at least until we leave?" Kayla nudged Sara toward Edward, and they both blushed. Edward managed a shy and awkward smile, "It's ok with me."

-------------

"What have you done?!" Sara was watching as Kayla went through her closet, trying to find something nice for Sara to wear while she was out with Ed.

"What I've done is I've finally found you a guy and my cousin no less!" Kayla pulled out a yellow dress with long puffy sleeves and looked at Sara, a look of horror on her face.

"Nope!" they both said.

Sara walked over to Kayla's bed and sat on the edge, putting her face in her hands. "I just don't think this'll work."

"Of course it will! Believe me; I've got a sixth sense about these things. It will work." Kayla pulled out another dress that was just as ugly as the first. "No." Putting it back in the closet, she continued to search. Sara sighed, falling backwards on the bed and going back over the past few hours in her head.

"No...No...No...AHA!!"

Sara sat upright to see what she'd found. Even though she wished she didn't have to go on this date, she still wanted to look nice. The dress was simple, but beautiful all the same. The skirt and sleeves were tan; the skirt stopped at her ankles and the sleeves were short like a T-shirt's. The torso was a lovely red-mahogany colored velvet and was probably form fitting. Not only that, but it also had a slightly wider collar and would most likely show just the very top of her breasts.

"Ok now for shoes and accessories." Kayla said.

"Why can't I just wear my boots?"

Kayla looked down at her boots. "Because they wouldn't go well with the dress." She looked back over to her closet and picked up a pair of tan Grecian sandals. "But these would!"

---------------

Edward paced in a circle on the floor of their new bedroom. Like Sara, he was a nervous wreck, which you don't see very often.

"Brother, calm down." Al was sitting on the bed, watching his brother pace like an anxious, or nervous, wolf.

"How can I calm down?! I've never been on a date before!! I don't know what I'm gonna do..."

"For starters, you could stop pacing and sit down."

Luckily, Charis opened the door and Ed paused long enough to see what she wanted.

"Why don't you two come down stairs? Sara should be ready in a few minutes and Kayla's taking you to the marketplace for awhile before you split up and do your own things."

"Ok." Ed and Al chorused.

---------------

Ed and Al stood patiently, or as patiently as Ed could manage, by the front door, only 5ft. away from the bottom of the stairs. While they waited, Kayla was upstairs helping Sara with her dress and sandals.

"I'm gonna wait downstairs." Kayla told her when she'd finished and proceeded downstairs while Sara brushed her hair quickly.

Ed watched Kayla run down the stairs and off to his left into the kitchen to talk to Charis...at least until he felt something tugging on his left pant leg. Soon after the tugging, when it reached just above his automail leg, came a sharp pain that felt like tiny hooks were making their way through his clothes and into his skin. When it continued up to his vest Ed looked down to see a kitten, staring up at him while hanging on his clothes with its tiny claws. It was probably only a month or so old and it was silvery-grey with black stripes and spots, and blue eyes. It continued to climb 'til it reached his shoulder, mewed in his ear, and licked his cheek. Ed smiled, taking it off of his shoulder and showing Al. Al smiled, too, as the kitten used Ed's arm as a balancing beam and leaped over to his shoulder, slipping down into the hood of his coat. Al had started wearing his red and black clothing again where Ed hadn't yet made that transition. Ed turned toward the stairs again and saw Sara coming down as he looked up. She was wearing the earlier described dress and Grecian sandals, her white gloves, a pair of garnet stud earrings, and a silver Bengal bracelet.

"Wow..." Ed said quietly to himself. He hadn't expected this. She was...beautiful. As Sara reached the bottom of the stairs, Kayla walked in, asking, "So, we ready to go?" Sara grabbed her cloak off of the hook by the door and slipped it on.

"Ready," she said, and opened the door. As she and Ed walked out, Kayla plucked the kitten out of Al's hood and set it on the floor.

It didn't take long for them to reach Kayla's stand in the marketplace. Sara had had her hood up ever since they left the house and sat on a stool behind a small table Kayla had set up behind a curtain. While Kayla set some jewelry out to sell, Sara set up materials like small bottles of dye, wires, string, old automail parts, and other metals.

"What are you doing?" Ed asked her, as he watched from behind.

"I'm going to do a demonstration for a couple of hours." Sara clapped her hands and brought them up to her face under the hood.

Ed noticed a small flash of light, then watched as she opened the curtain, taking off her hood when she finished. When her hood was down, Ed saw that her hair was wavy and silver. When Sara turned to her right to speak with Kayla, he could also see that her eyes were yellow. _What the...?_

For the next two hours, Sara sat at the small table, making jewelry and other items as people, mostly children, watched. When they came up to her and watched her make things with alchemy, she would often ask them questions like, "What's your name little one?" and "What's your favorite animal?" Sometimes she'd even ask them about their favorite flowers. Usually after asking, she would make something for them to keep and take home. Ed just stood silently behind her and watched. When he asked why she changed her hair and eye color she avoided the question all together. Al helped Kayla sell some of Sara's other previous creations.

_Children really seem to like her..._ Ed thought. Sara turned sideways in her chair and the children came around the side.

"Hey, Ed, could you come here please?" she asked, looking at him.

"Uh...sure." Ed walked over and kneeled next to her. Sara motioned for him to roll up his right sleeve as she pushed up her coat sleeve. Edward followed her lead.

"Wow!!" came the amused voices of little children.

"Cool, huh?" Sara asked them.

"Yeah!" exclaimed one little boy.

"Does it hurt?" a little girl asked curiously.

"No, not at all," Ed responded, "Although it hurts putting it back in after it's repaired."

"Can I touch it?" another little boy asked.

"Sure." Ed held out his arm and the little boy came closer. He rubbed a hand on Ed's forearm, examining his own reflection in the smooth metal.

"Is he your boyfriend?" asked another little girl.

"What?! No! We're just friends! We just met yesterday!" was Sara's frantic reply. The question had caught Ed off guard, too, and it showed on both of their faces.

Sara finished her demonstration at about 3:30. The children left with their parents, Sara packed up her materials, and once the curtain was closed she changed her hair and eyes back to their normal colors.

"Why do you do that?" Ed asked her again. She hesitated a bit before saying, "I'll tell you later." With that, she put her hood back up and stood.

"I'm gonna stay here and help Kayla for awhile. We can meet back up at the restaurant," Al told them.

"What time?" Ed asked.

"About 6:30 should be ok," Kayla informed, "Now you two go have fun! See ya later!"

Ed and Sara made their way back to the house. Before they'd left, Kayla had told them to stop by there for lunch if they got hungry. Edward being...well, Edward, they decided right away to go have lunch. When they reached the house, Charis had just opened the door and was on her way out.

"Oh, hi you two! I was just on my way to bring you some lunch. Here..." Charis handed them a picnic basket and turned around to lock up the house. "There's spaghetti, a canteen and 2 glasses, some bread, and an apple in there. Feel free to go and eat where you want, and I'll see you at 6:30," she said as the lock clicked. Charis ran down the stairs and off into town. "Bye!" she yelled back, and hurried on her way to wherever she needed to be. Ed and Sara stared after her, wondering what the heck they were supposed to do now.

"Uuhhh...want to go eat in the fields?" Sara suggested.

"...umm, sure, that's ok with me." So, they started on their way out of town, silent as they walked past the hotel and the last few buildings on the East side of town.

-----------------

"Well, I obviously know when your birthday is and how old you are..." Ed started.

"That is a start..." Sara pointed out.

"So I'll ask the obvious questions: favorite color?"

"Guess."

"Why should I guess?"

"Just guess!" Ed and Sara currently sat in the fields, about half a mile away from the scrap yard and 20ft from the river. A slight breeze played at the air and the sun shined brightly above them, but Sara still had her cloak on.

"Fine. Your favorite color iissss...blue?" They sat on a blanket, the food set out between them. There had been only one plate of spaghetti and two forks. They'd come close to sharing the same noodle a few times, almost forgetting to bite it in two once or twice. The canteen had been filled with grape juice, Sara guessed as a substitute for wine. The bread had disappeared before the spaghetti did, and the apple still sat untouched.

"You'd be correct. Now, guess my least favorite." Sara was having fun making him guess.

"Umm...pink?"

"...man, you're good."

"When did you become a state alchemist?" Sara took a deep breath and started telling him about her childhood, leading up to that day. She left some parts out, but Ed didn't notice. She hoped he didn't anyway. Since Ed and Al had already told them some of what they hadn't heard in the various stories that had been passed from town to town about them, there was no need to ask him much about it.

"-I begged Riza to convince Roy to let me take the exam, do some alchemy at his office, something, anything to try. I still don't know what she did, but she got me a chance and I owe her big time. I had already planned on becoming a state alchemist since both my parents had been, too. After hearing about you I wanted to try even harder." Sara took a pause, finding a particular blade of grass interesting. From what Ed could tell, it seemed like she was debating whether or not to tell him something.

"...What happened to your parents?" he asked cautiously.

"I-I'll tell you some other time." Sara stood suddenly, causing Ed to fall back. She walked over to, and then behind, him and quickly tapped his shoulder before running off and yelling, "TAG! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, SHORTY!!" Ed, of course, jumped up and ran after her, yelling something about grasshoppers, or something like that. Sara laughed as she ran from him, listening to his little rant as he chased her. When Ed came close to actually touching her, she squealed and ducked at the last second, making a quick dash in a different direction to get away. After that, Ed completely forgot about the "short" comment and actually tried to tag her back. Sara would try to catch him off guard sometimes by tricking him into thinking she was going one way, and then dashing off in the opposite direction. It worked for awhile, 'til he got used to it.

Suddenly, the ground was coming up to her face as she fell. She closed her eyes, and as she hit the ground, she felt something fall on top of her; Ed had dived for her and she hadn't noticed he was close enough to do so. Ed propped himself on his hands and knees, gasping for air and laughing a little.

"You're it." Sara opened her eyes to see Ed over her. For awhile they just stared into each other's eyes, 'til Edward noticed what position they were in; Sara was on her back, Ed on top of her with his hands at either side of her head, and one knee in between her legs. He stood quickly, letting his hair fall in his face so she couldn't see him blushing. Sara blushed as well, her heart pounded in her chest while she lay on the ground. Ed cleared his throat and offered his hand to her to help her up. She took it and pulled herself up quickly.

---------------

"So, where is this restaurant?" Ed asked. No one really had explained how to get to it.

"Just follow me..." Sara replied. She was trying to avoid eye contact, that was obvious. She walked through town quickly, knowing exactly where she was going and that it was gettling late. It was 6:28 and if they didn't get there quickly they would miss Al, Charis, and Kayla on the way back. They made it to the restaurant just as it turned 6:31. It was as wide as it was tall and probably the same in depth as well. The doorway was wooden with large, stainglass windows in the doors; it was kind of plain. Basically a big, brick cube with doors and windows.

"Hello. Welcome to the Four Seasons. How may I serve you today?" asked the man at the counter. To Ed, it seemed more like they'd walked into a hotel, except for the fact that it seemed like there was a large kitchen on the other side of the wall behind the man. There were no stairs that he could see, just two elevators.

"Yes, I'd like to know if 3 others came here today and where they're dining." Sara asked.

"Names please?"

"Charis and Kayla Kinder, and Alphonse Elric."

The man checked the reservation sheet. "Ah yes, here they are. They're on the 2nd floor, take this elevator on your left."

"Thank you." Sara said and dragged Ed to the elevator indicated. A young boy, probably 15 or 16, stood inside dressed nicely in a waiter's outfit and hand on a lever. "2nd floor, please" Sara asked politely. Without a word, the boy pulled the lever down to the indicated number, the doors shut, and they started their ascent. Not a word was said as they reached the 2nd floor and the doors slid open. The room it opened up to, though, was not as plain and ordinary as the rest of the building. Ed looked around as they stepped out of the elevator. It looked as though they'd stepped into a forest. False trees and potted ferns covered most of the walls, and a small pond and waterfall sat in the far right corner. The floor was dirt brown concrete with the occasional patch of moss imbedded in it to make it look like a forest floor, and there were even some fake wild flowers and grass here and there. "There they are," Sara said as they walked over to the table closest to the pond. Al, Charis, and Kayla greeted them with smiles and asked how their afternoon had been. Of course, Ed and Sara just nodded and said it was fine.

The food itself was expensive and delicious, and was followed by cake and ice-cream. It was a warm peaceful night, but outside hidden in the alleyways, something dark and sinister lurked in the shadows, and it wouldn't be long 'til that darkness was set free upon the city of Hyda once again.

* * *

Well, hope you enjoyed! Next up is episode 5, and there will be some action in this chapter, so keep an eye out for it.

**Me:** A fun fact for your entertainment, there actually was a scene in the movie where they showed a hotel called the Four Seasons, and I really didn't notice that until I watched the movie again while I was writing. There's also a song in one of the Inuyasha movies called 4 Seasons.

**Ed:** _(__Ed runs past door screaming__)_ aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!

**Me:** _(looks at door)_

**Sara:** COME BACK HERE!!!! YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I CATCH YOU!!!! _(__yells as she runs past door after Ed)_

**Me:** _(__hears front door slam as Ed runs out of the house and the yelp pain as Ed, apparently, is pounced on; also hears sounds of punching, screaming, and other assorted noises)_ Wonder what that was about...

**Al:** He just had to say it _(__says as he walks past door)_

**Me:** Say what?

**Al:** He called her short and that she punches like a girl...and she's proving him wrong...

**Me:** ...ooooookk, we'll see you next chapter...if Ed survives that long...


	5. Episode 5: Beginnings of Shadows

HI!! I finally got to sit down and type. So, to make up for all that time it took me to get chapter 4 finished, I'm putting up episode 5 as well. Two in one day! There's even some action in this I hope you enjoy!

**Sara:** Have you seen Ed anywhere?

**Me:** No, but he's probably hiding from you. Why?

**Sara:** Well I asked him what he was thinking about earlier and seemed kind of nervous. I asked him again and he ran off. I figure if I pester him long enough I'll get an answer out of him.

**Me:** Good luck with that.

**Sara:** _(walks out into the hall)_

**Al:** So I guess it's just us today?

**Me:** Seems that way. Why don't you give the disclaimer today Al?

**Al:** Ok. Ahem, 'she doesn't own FMA or any of its characters, just her own.' How's that?

**Me:** Good.

**Ed:** _(peeks out of closet)_ Is she gone?

* * *

_**Episode 5: Beginnings of Shadows**_

Hidden in the dark alleyways, shrouded in shadows, two figures stood looming over a girl. She was knelt down on the ground, holding her right shoulder where her automail had once been. All that was left of the arm was a few wires dangling from the base. Her face had 2 longs streaks of blood running down it: one from her head at about the base of her hairline, the other from a cut on her left cheek. One figure stood faceless and silent, his companion's face was covered by the shadow of his cloak hood. It was raining, but it seemed as though the world around her was dead. The hooded figure's mouth was visible and seemed to be saying something. Sara wasn't sure how she knew what he was saying, but didn't think too much of it.

"I'll never do what you say..." she stated a hint of rage in her voice. Again, he said something she couldn't hear, and still she responded. "Don't you DARE lay a hand on them!!" The figure seemed to laugh and said something else, causing her to look behind her, a look of horror quickly spreading across her face. Behind her lay a body, cold, dead, covered in blood. Sara screamed in despair as the body's face became clearer to her.

Sara jerked up quickly, waking from the nightmare she'd, once again, had to endure. It was still dark, and it would probably be a few hours before the sun peeked over the horizon. She was covered in a cold sweat and her heart pounded furiously in her chest. She jumped when a knock came at the door, a strong, quiet knock not at all feminine in sound.

"Sara?" Ed called quietly. He stood outside her door trying to be as quiet as he could so he wouldn't wake anyone else. Though Sara lived in the junkyard, she had her own room in the house, which Ed had never seen. It was all the way at the end of the hall where there was a right turn that led to her door. The upstairs hall stretched from the top of the stairs, back about 50ft and turned. There were two rooms on the right side of the hall and three on the left. The 2 rooms on the right were where Ed and Al were staying, both with their own rooms. Charis's room was the closest to the stairs on the left, Kayla's in the middle of the hall. The 3rd room was the upstairs bathroom. "Hey...are you ok?" Ed asked quietly through the door.

"Uuuhh...Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream is all." she answered.

Though Ed doubted that last part was true, he trusted her word. "Ok. If you need anything let me know." With that, Edward walked back to his room silently, the door clicking quietly behind him as he closed his door. Sara sighed and plopped back down against her pillow.

The next morning, Ed woke to the sound of the shower running. Instead of getting up and starting the day, he tried laying a pillow over his head and getting more sleep. Three days had passed since they'd first met Sara, and today was day 4. During those past few days, Kayla and Sara had shown them around the general area, and introduced them to a few people.

The door opened and Al poked his head in, "Morning brother!" Edward groaned through his pillow, an attempt to return the morning greetings. "Come on, brother! Breakfast is almost ready!" With that said, Al closed the door and retreated to the dining room. Ed groaned one last time before sitting up in bed, letting the pillow fall off his face.

"Uuugh! No one lets me sleep anymore..." he complained, and reluctantly stood out of bed, stretching his arms and back.

Sara stepped out of the shower and dried herself quickly. The room was filled with steam, fogging the bathroom mirror and skylight. It was a decent size, for a bathroom at least. Once she finished towel drying her hair, she slipped on the underwear and clothes she'd brought with her before the shower. They were the same clothes she wore when she met Ed and Al back in her junkyard. It was, technically, the only outfit she owned. Charis had washed them yesterday so she could wear them again, even though Charis insisted she buy her some new clothes. Sara used a pole with a clipped hook at the end to open the skylight and let the hot air escape.

Sara walked down the stairs, brushing her hair. As she rounded the corner at the bottom, and entered the kitchen, she watched as Kayla grabbed a pancake off the plate in the middle of the table, stuffed it in her mouth, and ran past her and out the door. Charis washed dishes while Ed and Al sat at the table, eating...quite quickly in fact. She found it amusing, and joined them at the table.

Not too long after Sara finished her breakfast, there came a scratching noise from the front door.

"I'll get it." Edward ran to answer the door.

"Wait don't-" Sara called, but it was too late. Ed opened the door and quickly found himself on the floor, struggling to keep his face dry. The youngest of the four wolves was on top of him, licking his face in greeting like the first time Ed had seen him. "Trevor, cut it out!! Oh, I'm so sorry Edward!" Sara apologized as she pulled Trevor off of him.

"It's ok. So, your name is Trevor, huh?" Ed asked as he sat up. Trevor grinned and said,"Yep! That's me!" He had a voice similar to Al's; just as cheery, but slightly deeper.

"Well, it's nice to meet you!" Ed greeted. Next through the door came Kyla, who Ed knew all too well. Next to her was her black-coated twin, whom Ed hadn't yet seen. Ed stood up and watched the last of the four enter. He was the eldest of the four, and looked similar to his little brother but slightly lighter in color. Edward could tell just looking at him that he was going to be trouble. Once all four sat in the living room Ed shut the front door while Sara sat on the couch, and let the black twin hop up on the couch and lay his front half on her lap. "So who are these two?" Ed asked.

"Well, this here," she rested a hand on the black male's head, "is Koji. He's Kyla's twin brother." Koji bowed his head in a formal greeting. "And that hot head there is Kai, Trevor's older brother." Kai growled quietly from his spot near the door. Kyla lay in the middle of the room letting the 5 kittens climb all over her. Their mother sat on one arm of the couch, watching them. Trevor, of course, followed Edward as he sat next to Sara on the couch. Koji growled slightly, but Sara rested her right hand on his muzzle, and he quieted down.

"I don't think they like me very much." Ed said nervously, they being Kai and Koji.

"Koji's just being protective." Sara explained.

"And I have a right to be." Koji added; his voice was smooth and young _(for Naruto fans, think of Sasuke)_.

"I don't see why you bother..." Kai said. His voice sounded kind of rough and agitated _(think of Inuyasha)_.

"And Kai has no excuse." Sara finished.

"Is there any way I can show them I'm ok?" Ed asked.

"Again, why bother? It's not like we'll accept you as though you're family or something." Kai remarked.

"Kyla and I do, why can't you brother?" Trevor questioned.

"Because they're human! They're not wolves like us! I don't even see why we call this human girl our alpha!"

"Kai-" Sara started, a false anger in her voice that only covered the hurt she was feeling at the remark.

"Just shut it human!!" Kai interrupted, "I don't have to listen to you! Don't think that I care what you say or how you feel. I don't! You're not a leader, an alpha or my master! And I certainly don't consider you my mother!!" Kai snarled and ran out the door as Kayla opened it coming in. Edward jumped out of his seat, ran to the door, and watched as Kai ran back to the fields towards the junkyard.

"Mother? Are you ok?" Ed heard Trevor whimper. He looked back into the living room where Kyla and Trevor sat at Sara's feet while Koji now sat upright next to her on the couch, trying to see her face. Her head was bowed, her bangs covered her eyes, and though Ed couldn't see her face, he could tell she was crying.

"Did I miss something?" Kayla asked.

Ed lay on the couch, going over what he'd just heard in his head. A little after Sara had ran up to her room and locked the door, he'd told Kayla what had happened.

_-Flashback-_

_"I don't see why that bothers her though." Ed said._

_"She didn't tell you everything, did she?" Kayla asked after a moment of silence. Ed shook his head. Kayla sighed and began the story. "About 4 or 5 years ago, after she became a state alchemist and the day after she came home, there was a large forest fire. With her help, we were able to put it out before it spread too far. But by then, it was already too late for most of the animals that had lived in that portion of the woods. That day, Sara went looking through the woods to look for survivors. She'd told me she had heard the animals who were caught in the fire scream in pain, and that I was lucky I couldn't. Apparently, two wolves had given birth and hid their pups by the lake. The mother's hadn't survived the fire..."_

_"And the pups were Kai, Trevor, Kyla, and Koji." Ed guessed._

_"Yep." Kayla answered, "And ever since she found them, she's been taking care of them, raising them as her own. It hurts...thinking one of your children hates you...Sara's always wondered why her parents had to die, leaving her all alone.."_

_The last sentence caught Ed's attention, "Wait, her parents died?"_

_"Hm? Yeah, before she became a state alchemist. She didn't tell you?"_

_-End Flashback-_

Kyla was pacing nearby, fuming while muttering rude things about Kai under her breath. Koji was upstairs, trying to comfort Sara through the door, and Trevor sat in front of the couch with his head rested next to Edward, whimpering. Ed pet hi head occasionally to comfort him. Koji came trotting down the stairs and into the living room, "I give up. She's not coming out and she won't listen..."

Kyla growled, "If I see Kai again I'm gonna KILL HIM!!" _(You could think of Kyla as Kagome or some other girl character that fits)_

"Shut up, sis. We all know you love the jerk." Koji said smoothly.

"I DO NOT!!" she yelled at him. Suddenly, there was the faint sound of an explosion from outside and, shortly after, the slam of an upstairs door. Ed sat up as Sara came running down the stairs. She jumped the last few steps and quickly slipped on her boots after landing. Any sign that she'd been crying or had been upset had vanished, replaced with utter determination and anger. Sara wrenched the door open and sprinted out. For a second, Edward thought he'd heard a snarl escape her lips.

"Sara, wait!!" Ed ran after her, slipping on his own boots as he sprinted out the door. Trevor went to follow him, but Koji stopped him, "Trevor! Stay!" Trevor looked at him and whimpered, "But-"

"No. Whatever's happening there's no way we can help. All we can do is wait 'til they return."

-------------

Ed found that Sara was running much faster than she had a few days ago. He could barely keep up with her. Sara wasn't even tired, or running at full speed. It wasn't exactly a long run, either. She ran through an alleyway, across a main street, and through another alleyway. When she came to the end of that alley she was thrown 20ft down the street. Ed saw this and halted in his tracks. Sara stood and got a look at what she was up against this time. She found that she'd been hit by a long, black tail.

"Hmph. Chimeras..." she scowled. They were both quite large in size, about 7 maybe 8 ft high at the shoulder. The one that had attacked her had a long, black serpent's tail, the front half of a lion, and a dragon-like hind end. Lucky for her it didn't have wings. Problem was it did have snake fangs and large eagle's talons for claws. The other chimera was almost wolf like and also had a serpent's tail. Unfortunately, it did have wings, large bat-like ones. Its back half was also dragon-like, and both had burning red eyes. They were both black and had a somewhat oil-like shimmer to their black fur and scales.

"I've never seen chimera like these..." Ed whispered to himself in the alleyway. The wolf-like chimera overheard and focused its attention on Ed. The first chimera sprang forward at Sara and attacked. She just smirked, clapping her hands together and using alchemy to transmute her right arm into a blade and dashed forward to slash at its shoulder. Her smirk faded quickly as she realized it didn't even phase the thing, it just turned around to attack again. Meanwhile, Ed was fending off the other chimera with about as much success as Sara. He, too, had transmuted his arm, but it didn't matter where he sliced at it, it had no effect. It kept attacking and wouldn't leave enough of a gap for Ed to try and attack, leaving him on the defensive. Sara, too, had the same problem. Ed and Sara eventually found themselves back to back, and the chimera circled them, watching their every move.

"You shouldn't have followed me..." Sara muttered angrily at Ed without taking her eyes off of the chimera.

"I had the feeling you needed some help, and you left so suddenly I had to find out what was going on," Ed shot back.

"Well, now that you're involved, got any ideas?" Sara asked.

"Just one..." Ed replied.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Sara asked. The chimera stopped for a second; one roared, the other snarled.

"Just keep hacking at them until we find a weak spot."

_To be continued..._

* * *

DUN DUN DUUNNN!!! Wonder what will happen next?

**Al:** Stay tuned to find out!

**Sara:** EEEEEEEEDD!! Where are you?! _(Calls from down stairs)_

**Ed:** I'm not here! _(Whispers and closes closet door)_

**Me:** OH! Before I forget, if you guys have any funny little script ideas for the before and after portions of each chapter, please send a review with your idea. I'm running out and I'd love to see what you guys come up with! And you have one where Al shows up to talk a little more, he'd love you forever! Please rate and review, and keep an eye out for chapter 6.

**P.S. -** **If you prefer that I put a summary of the next episode at the end of each chapter, let me know, ok? See ya next episode!**


	6. Episode 6: Attack and Defend

AAAAAAAHHH!! I'm soooo sorry guys! I've been so busy and stressed that I haven't had time to get these chapters up! Well, I'm putting up two chapters to make up for it.

**Ed:** You mean I have to go through twice the torture?!

**Me:** Yes! Now get moving!

**Ed:** _(runs away)_

**Sara:** Why is Ed running away?

**Me:** You should get moving too! Go, go, go!! Alphonse!!

**Al:** Yes?!

**Me:** Get me coffee and nobody gets hurt!!!

**Al:** But you hate coffee-

**Me:** SODA THEN!!! On with the show!!!

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own FMA, I own my characters...

* * *

_**Episode 6: Attack and Defend**_

"Well, now that you're involved, got any ideas?" Sara asked.

"Just one..." Ed replied.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Sara asked. The chimera stopped for a second, one roared, the other snarled.

"Just keep hacking at them until we find a weak spot."

Sara smirked, "Funny, I was thinking the same thing!" and charged forward at the wolf chimera. Ed charged at the lion chimera at the same time and decided to be clever with his attack. Remembering their game of tag a few days ago, Ed pretended to go one direction and then dashed in the other just before the chimera brought its claws down on him. Ed tried slicing its rib cage open, but his blade just bounced off. He ducked as its tail whipped around, and then barely rolled out of the way as it brought it down in an attempt to smash him into the ground. Sara had tried a different tactic. While charging the wolf chimera, she dropped down to the ground and slid underneath, attempting to cut its underside. Again, no success and she was caught by its tail. She tried to free herself, but its grip tightened. With great force and speed it swung its tail around, throwing her across the street and into the side of a building. Ed had rolled underneath the lion chimera and decided it was worth a try. He thrust his right arm upward at its chest and, this time, actually felt it go through. He looked up to find the blade buried in its chest, a thick, black liquid running down it and staining his shirt sleeve.

"Found it!" he muttered triumphantly as it howled in pain. He removed his blade and rolled out from under it. He stood and ran a few feet away, taking his attention off of the chimera to find out what had happened to Sara. He'd heard her crash into the side of a building and noticed a cloud of dust sitting about halfway up one close by.

"Sara! You ok?!" All he could hear was growling and crumbling rock. When the dust cleared, Sara was clinging to the wall in an inhuman fashion: she was on all fours crouched like an animal ready to pounce. Not only that, she was faced head first toward the ground, her head bent back so she could see the wolf chimera across the street. The wall around her was cracked and dented inward. She quickly switched her feet so they were under her and pushed off, slashed at its back with a quick front flip, landed on the other side of the street, pushed off, back flipped in the air, and landed on the ground in the middle of the street. The wolf chimera was also howling in pain now.

"Found it!" she called to Ed, who was standing there, mouth agape.

"Where'd you learn to do that?!" he called across the street.

"I didn't," she turned to face him, a smile on her face, "It was mostly instinct."

Ed didn't have time to think this over as the lion chimera had recovered and was on the attack again. Sara turned back around only to get hit by a gust of wind as the wolf chimera took off. Before she could look around, the chimera came up from behind and used its tail to whip her hard in the back, knocking the wind out of her. Sara fell to her knees gasping for air while the chimera swooped down for another attack.

"Sara!!" Ed cried out. He tried to run over to her and help, but the lion chimera used its tail to trip him.

"Both of you STAY DOWN!!" someone yelled, which was followed by a clap, bright light, and gust of wind. Ed looked up to see a tornado, knowing only one person who could do that. While the tornado fended off the chimera momentarily, Al rushed over to his brother, "You ok?"

"Yeah, but I'm more concerned about Sara..."

"Oh really?" Al said a cat-like smile on his face.

"I don't mean like THAT!!" Ed shot defensively.

"I'm just joking, brother." Al smiled and left to check on Sara. Ed stood, keeping his eyes on the chimera and tornado. Al knelt down next to Sara and asked, "You ok?" Sara grunted and pushed herself up.

"I'm fine; I just needed a moment to catch my breath. Wait, what are YOU doing here?!"

"I came to help."

Sara sighed and stood, Al following. Brushing off some dirt, she walked over to Ed with Al right behind her.

"So you found its weak spot?" he asked.

"Yeah. The wolf chimera's is on the back, between the shoulder blades. You?"

"The lion's is right in the middle of the chest. Problem is it seems attacking them at different times just allows them to recover."

"Wait. You're saying they're linked somehow?"

"Yeah, seems that way."

"So then you just need to attack them at the same time," Al added, "It's worth a try.." The tornado suddenly disappeared, leaving no more time to chat.

"Well then, let's go for it!" Sara said and tossed Al a long, metal gauntlet.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"Put it on. It's made of automail. If you wear it, you should be able to use it like your brother and I are using our arms now," she explained. Al slipped it on and transmuted a blade out of it.

"Here!" She tossed one to Ed who just looked at her with a questioning look. "For your left arm!" Ed slipped it on, though he wasn't sure why he needed it. The chimera charged towards them, one by land, and the other by air. Ed and Al charged the lion chimera while Sara ran to a building, up the wall, and pushed off, landing on the wolf chimera's back, which tried to throw her off. Ed kept the lion's attention while Al prepared to dive under and make his attack.

"Ready?!" Ed called to both of them. Sara prepared to stab downward while Al dove under and prepared to strike. "NOW!!" Sara stabbed down while Al stabbed up at the same time. Both creatures howled in pain; the wolf chimera came crashing back down to earth and Al rolled out from under the lion chimera before it collapsed. Sara jumped down and ran over to them.

"Something doesn't feel right..." she told them.

"Why? We killed them," Al inquired. Ed looked to his right and saw someone standing in the alley.

"Who's that?" he asked. The man knelt down on the ground, placing his hands in the dirt in front of him.

"What is he doing?" Al asked. There was a red glow which quickly turned to lightning streaking across the ground toward the chimera. For a second, nothing happened. Then the chimera started to move. They stood and began to glow a bright red. Ed, Al, and Sara had to cover their eyes it was so bright. When they next opened their eyes, they found themselves staring at a new chimera, a fusion of the previous two. It was one body, two tails, wings, and two heads: the left a lion, the right a wolf. It had also doubled in size and was probably harder to beat.

"That guy was an alchemist!" Al realized.

"He's the reason half of the city is destroyed!" Sara told them, a hint of rage in her voice.

Ed looked at the alley again, only to find it empty. "Damn! He got away!"

"It doesn't matter right now. Let's deal with the task at hand!" Sara yelled before charging again.

"Wait!!" Ed yelled and ran after her, Al next to him. This time she kept it busy while Ed took top and Al slid underneath. They tried the same tactic again, but were thrown off. Al slashed at its head to avoid being caught in its massive jaws and the creature backed off momentarily. It had a third weak spot. They regrouped and planned their next attack. "I'll go for their heads..."

"I'll go up top..." Sara said.

"And I'll go below, again." Al added confidently.

Ed transmuted the gauntlet on his left arm, giving him two blades at his disposal. The chimera roared, ready to attack. This time, Ed, Al, and Sara didn't give it that chance and charged forward. First, Sara escaped being ripped to shreds by its claws and ran up its front leg to its back, slicing the muscles that controlled its wings. Al then charged forward and, again, slid underneath, slicing the tendons in its legs on his way. It couldn't escape now. Sara and Al buried their blades deep into its back and chest, while Ed made his move and charged forward to give the final blow, striking both heads and splitting its skulls in two. Immediately, Al dashed out from underneath and Sara jumped off. Ed returned his arm and the gauntlet back to their original state and removed the gauntlet as they joined him.

"I hope there's no more surprises..." he sighed.

Al poked the thing with his foot, "I just hope its dead this time..." Once he said that, the chimera's body turned to ash, leaving large bones in its place.

"I guess it is," Ed answered, laughing slightly.

"So, I guess we start looking for-…hey, brother?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Sara?"

Confused, Ed looked behind him, and realized she wasn't there. In fact, she was nowhere to be found.

_**---------------**_

"SARA!!"

"SAARAA!!"

"WHERE ARE YOU?!!"

Ed and Al called her name for what seemed like hours, wandering around the town, occasionally stopping to ask people if they'd seen her. Every single time, the answer was always no.

"Maybe she went home already…" Al suggested after some time had passed.

"I doubt that," Ed sighed. "Al, you go ahead and go back to Kayla's, in case she comes back or is already there. I'm going to keep looking..."

"Ok, brother. I'll see you later." Al ran back to the house and found when he got there that she still hadn't returned. Ed eventually gave up looking through the streets and decided to check the junkyard. Charis had told him of a secret, and much safer, way to get in without nearly being killed by going through the labyrinth. It was something only she and Sara knew of. To his dismay, when he did make his way in, she wasn't there either. He even checked for Kai while he was there and found no sign that either of them had come through there recently. He gave up the search for that day and started on his way back to Kayla's.

_**---------------**_

As Ed came closer to town, he realized he was lost. Without Sara, Kayla, or Charis around, he had no idea where he was going. For a second, he thought he heard a wolf howl, but disregarded it thinking it was just Kai out in the woods. Ed wandered the streets for quite some time, getting himself even more lost and confused than when he first entered town. After half an hour, he finally sat down and took some time to figure out his current surroundings. Ed sighed and leaned forward, slumping a little as he leaned on his knees.

"It was confusing enough getting around town during the day. I'm even worse off at night." Ed sighed again and looked around. Down the street, he saw what looked like a dog walk out of an alley, sniffing the ground. _Is that Kai?_ he thought. It was too dark to tell. He hadn't seen any other canines around town, so he figured it had to be him. So, Ed stood and walked down the street, planning to convince Kai to help him find Sara.

"Hey, Kai, that you?" he asked. The dog lifted its head and looked at him. "You know, Sara's been worried about you..." he continued. The dog growled and ran back down the alley.

"Hey, wait!" he called, but it was already gone. Ed was losing patience with Kai already, and he wished he could just find out where Sara had disappeared to. Sometime after, he wondered if that had even been Kai. Ed did eventually find his way back to Kayla's, and by that time everyone was in bed. He realized how late it was and decided to go to bed.

Over the next two days, Ed and Al kept searching for her, with no luck. Al noticed a strange dog roaming around the streets one night and told Ed about it.

"Yeah, I've noticed it too. The first night Sara was missing, I saw that dog wandering the streets."

"You think it's Kai?" Al asked. He had found out the day before that he could also understand Sara's wolves and they told him what had happened.

"I don't think so..." Ed replied, "It didn't answer me when I called it, and then it ran away..."

That night, Ed walked around in the fields, hoping to find some sign that she'd been out there. His search was cut short when he saw a building in town catch fire, and he quickly ran back into town to help. When he reached it, the building was ablaze. Luckily they'd gotten everyone out. The best he could do was use alchemy to bring a water line above ground and spray the house. He returned the pipe to its original place once the fire was out. The people there thanked him and moved on to the nearest hotel. Though the fire was out, the house still smoked a little and with it ashes from the house were blowing into the street. A deadly, toxic snow was falling into the street, and Ed knew he needed to get out of there before he breathed any of it in. He tied a handkerchief - which he'd had in his pocket - around his mouth and nose and tried finding his way to an alley. As he searched he saw a dark, canine figure in a nearby alleyway.

"Well hey there. You really should get out of here..." he called to it. A deep growl echoed through the alley and off of the walls of the surrounding buildings, and Ed watched as it came closer.

"Hey, I don't want any trouble..." The canine figure suddenly stood up on its hind legs and ran at him, teeth bared, one clawed hand held high ready to strike. Ed barely had time to react and dodged to his right, still receiving a ripped pant leg when it attacked. _Good thing it was my left leg..._ he thought. Ed rolled out of the way as it attacked again. He quickly transmuted his arm into a blade and stood.

"I didn't want to do this..." Ed dashed forward and swung his blade, cutting its side when it tried to dodge. In return, it threw Ed across the street, leaving claw marks on his chest. Ed stood and clapped his hands, using alchemy to change the ashes into a more solid form, creating spikes that shot up at the creature. It dodged the first, only to receive a wound on its left shoulder from the second. While it stood there growling in pain, Ed ran behind it and tried attacking it then. It barely managed to dodge his attacks and received a few cuts on its back. It spun around and struck him across the face, sending him down and giving him four nice scratches across his right cheek. While he tried to stand again, it took that opportunity to get away and, once again, disappear into the night.

"What was that thing?" Ed muttered.

_**------------**_

"Brother, what happened to you?!" Al asked when he returned.

"Some animal attacked me in the street," Ed explained, while Charis cleaned and bandaged the cuts.

"What did it look like?" Kayla asked.

"I don't know; I didn't get a good look at it. I can only tell you that it had a canine shape and stood on its hind legs."

"Well that's not much to go off of."

"Yeah, well, I just hope Sara didn't run into that thing..." Al added.

"Me too, Al. Me too..." Ed replied.

"Well, that's the best I can do with what we have..." Charis said, finally finished, "All you do now is take it easy."

"Got it."

_**------------**_

"Now, I'm probably going to be gone awhile. A friend of mine has asked me to babysit her 2-year-old while she and her husband are out. If you 3 need anything, Kayla knows what to do. I'll see you I get home." Charis left and started down the street, leaving Kayla, Ed, and Al alone in the house. Kyla, Koji, and Trevor had already left for the junkyard a few hours before, so the 3 teenagers were all alone.

"Well, I'm hungry so I'll go fix us something to eat," Kayla said, and then ran into the kitchen.

"Well then, what do you say to a game of cards, Al?" Ed asked.

"Sure."

Ed and Al were just about to start a game of poker-Ed not wearing his shirt since it needed patched and washed, leaving him in nothing but bandages covering his chest, and pants on-when they heard a loud thump from upstairs.

"What was that?" Al asked.

"I don't know...I'll go check it out..." Ed stood and ran upstairs, searching each room to find what caused the sound. He'd checked all but Sara's room and found nothing out of the ordinary, leaving her room as the source of the sound. The door still hung open from when she'd busted out of her room and downstairs. He walked in slowly and quietly, not bothering to turn the lights on just yet. Sara's room was slightly different from the others. To his left was a wall that led about 15-20ft over to the left corner, which wasn't really a corner. That corner was cylindrical in shape and the wall there was one, long window with a sitting area under it. It connected to a regular wall that continued over to the right corner for about 15ft and then changed to the right wall which led to her closet door. Between the closet and her bedroom door, a twin sized bed stretched from the wall towards the middle of the room; the floor was wooden except for the square of rose carpet under her bed and probably in her closet. Ed could see something heaped on the floor in the round sitting area, and one section of the window was open. Ed flipped on the lights and moved closer. It was covered with a brown cloak and all he could see was one hand that seemed to be reaching out from underneath and boot-clad feet.

"Al! Kayla! Get up here, QUICK!!"

Kayla quit chopping vegetables, and she and Al both ran up the stairs in a panic. Ed ran over and removed the cloak, revealing Sara underneath. He immediately covered her body back up though because, apparently, she wasn't wearing anything else. He wrapped her up in the cloak and turned her over as Kayla and Al rushed in.

"What is it, brother?"

"Sara's back," Ed told them.

"Put her on the bed," Kayla commanded. Ed picked her up gently and carried her over to the bed. Right away, they noticed she was unconscious - because otherwise she would've been having a fit about Ed carrying her - and when Kayla started checking her for injuries, Ed pushed Al out of the room and shut the door behind him once they were both out. After about 10 minutes, Kayla called through the door and asked Ed to grab the first aid kit. He fetched it from the living room and entered Sara's room with his eyes shut, handing Kayla the first aid kit and retreating back into the hall.

_**-----------**_

"Well, how is she?" Ed asked when she called them back in. It had taken Kayla 45 minutes to clean and bandage her wounds.

"She has some deep cuts on her sides and left shoulder, as well as some scratches on her back and chest. It looks like someone attacked her with a knife or something. Not only that, she has a fever and she's lost a lot of blood. Plus, her automail limbs finally cave in on themselves. She's basically bedridden 'til she gets better and we find a mechanic." They all looked at Sara, who lay still and silent in bed under her sheets.

* * *

Wow, this one got really long. And I feel much better now that I've had my soda!

**Al:** Well that's good news!

**Me:** _(looks around)_ Al? Where are Ed and Sara?

**Al:** I don't know...

**Me:** Hm. And I was looking forward to calling them short, too. Oh well, we'll bother them next chapter. Maybe they're making out in a closet somewhere. Hee hee...

**Al:** Please review. See you next chapter!!


	7. Episode 7: Recovery

Hey there! So, let's see...Where are we?

**Ed:** We're on fanfiction...

**Me:** I know that! I meant in the story.

**Sara:** I just came back and they're discussing my injuries..

**Kayla:** Yeah, they were pretty bad, too. Of course I can't believe Ed actually saw you-

**Ed:** (_covers Kayla's mouth)_ Heheheheh what are you talking about, I haven't seen anything other than you guys!! Heheh...

**Sara:** (_stares at Ed_) No, tell us, what did you see?

**Ed:** (_face turns crimson_) Uuuuuhh I gotta go run Den!! (_Runs out of the room_)

**Me:** ...Ooooookaay, **I only own my characters, I don't own FMA.** Enjoy the chapter!

**Al:** (_comes in the room_) Hey! Did I miss anything?

* * *

_**Episode 7: Recovery**_

They all looked at Sara, who lay still and silent in bed under her sheets.

"Al, go get some cool water and a wash cloth. I left a stew on the stove and I don't want to burn the house down," Kayla said after a moment of silence.

"Uh, sure. What about Ed?" Al asked.

Kayla leaned closer and whispered, "Let's just leave him here with Sara for awhile." A cat-like grin spread across her face.

"Oookaay." Al also grinned mischievously. They both tiptoed out of the room, leaving Ed staring at her and lost in his thoughts.

_It's strange...these wounds seem familiar..._ It seemed odd that not long after he was attacked Sara came back with so many wounds. Not only that, they seemed similar to the injuries he inflicted upon that thing that attacked him. Still, he was too worried to think it over for the moment. Ed looked up as Al walked in with a basin of cool water and a cloth.

"Here, brother. Kayla told me to tell you you're in charge of taking care of her for now," Al informed him, setting the bowl down on the nightstand, "She'll be up here later to take over."

"Ok," Ed answered, and Al left the room. Ed sighed and dipped the cloth in the cool water, wringing it out afterwards. Once he folded the cloth he placed it on her forehead, wondering what he was going to do now.

-----------

For another hour or so he developed a routine: check the cloth to see if it's warm, turn it over, wait, wet the cloth again when both sides were warm or dry, and repeat. At about 8:00 pm, maybe 8:30, Kayla came in the room. Ed was leaning on the edge of the bed, half asleep.

"Ed?"

"Yeah?" Ed replied sitting up, obviously tired.

"I saved you a bowl of stew. Why don't you go eat that and then go to bed?"

Ed was so tired, and hungry, he couldn't refuse. "Alright," he yawned, "I'll see ya in the morning..."

"Good night, Ed."

-----------

At about 11:30 that night, Charis called home. Apparently she was going to be another day or two because one of her cousins had passed away recently. Kayla knew she'd be gone longer than 2 days, which meant she was in charge of her job, the house, and everyone in it 'til her mother came home.

-----------

"Ok you two, I made you some lunch, I'm sure you can find something for breakfast. I'll be gone a little longer than usual today..." Kayla explained the next day while grabbing what she needed. Since it was Saturday, business was really going to pick up. "If I come home late, hopefully one of you knows how to cook. I'll see you guys later!" She waved goodbye and left out the front door.

"You want anything to eat, brother?" Al asked.

"Just an orange," Ed replied, plopping on the couch in the living room.

"Just an orange?" Al was confused, "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm just not hungry right now..." Ed replied.

Al stared at him for a second before saying, "Ok..." and walking into the kitchen. Ed stared at the floor for quite some time, not even noticing when Al came back and was standing in front of him, waving his hand in Ed's face. "Brother? Are you sure you're ok?" Al asked when his brother finally came back to his senses.

"Yes, just thinking that's all..."

"'Bout what?"

"..It's nothing, forget it."

Al decided it wasn't the time to press the matter any further and handed Ed an orange.

-----------

They both took turns taking care of Sara that day. Kayla had redressed her wounds, as well as Ed's, that morning and her fever had gone down, almost back to normal temperature. Sometime that afternoon, during one of Ed's shifts, he could've sworn he saw her move. Instead of alerting Al right away, he kept still and quiet just to be sure. She turned her head to the left and shifted slightly under the covers. She was conscious, just sleeping now. Ed let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He'd lost so many friends over the years, especially new ones, that it was becoming customary to worry when this kind of thing occurred.

"She'll probably be hungry when she wakes up..." Ed whispered to himself. That thought in mind, Ed stood and made his way downstairs, joining Al in the kitchen to search for something to eat.

While he was in the kitchen Sara's stomach did eventually kick in and as it did Ed came into the room with a tray of food; half was his own lunch, the other was for Sara when she woke up. Sara breathed in deeply as he sat next to the bed, setting the tray on the nightstand. On his way out, he had taken the bowl of water and cloth back downstairs, now that she could recover on her own. She could smell freshly peeled oranges and chicken soup, as well as an apple and...was that rain? She was surprised she remembered the smell as it hadn't rained in Hyda for two to three years, but that was just it; it hadn't rained. Puzzled, she slowly opened her eyes, her vision a bit blurry at first. Ed had finished one of his orange slices when he noticed Sara waking up.

"Good morning. You've been out a while," he greeted. Sara looked at Ed as her vision cleared. When she tried to sit up, Ed panicked, and for more than one reason. "Hey! Take it easy." Ed gently pushed her back down onto her pillow, pulling the blanket up closer to her chin. It was a good thing he had because Sara's head swam when she sat up.

"How long was I out?" she asked groggily.

"Luckily, only since I found you last night."

"Found me?"

"Yeah. I came upstairs and found you heaped on the floor by that window over there." Ed gestured toward the window in question. Sara's stomach growled at that moment. Ed looked back at her and started laughing. Sara, out of embarrassment, pulled the covers over her head, her face covered in blush. Of course, that's when she realized the only thing covering her body in any way were bandages and blankets. She couldn't scream; she figured Al and Kayla would wonder what had happened if she did. She didn't want to give Ed a hard time, mostly because she knew he'd find a way to take revenge, even if she didn't mean to. That was what she thought anyway. Really, her throat was dry and she couldn't talk to loud as it was. "Hungry?" he asked, still snickering a little.

"Uh...y-yeah," she replied from under the covers.

"Hm? Something wrong?"

"...um...h-how long have I been laying here practically naked under the covers?"

Ed blushed, "Well, uh, heh-heh...you only had on your cloak last night..."

"WHAAAT?!?!"

"It wasn't me, I swear! You were already like that when I found you, Kayla bandaged you up, and I just brought you food and helped bring your fever down!!" Ed closed his eyes, ready for whatever beating that might come. But none came. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was staring at him, sort of in disbelief. Sara couldn't believe someone other than Kayla and Charis actually showed any concern for her.

After a few moments, Ed helped her sit up and handed her the tray with soup, orange slices, and an apple. "Here, it's chicken soup. Al and I made it." Sara looked at the soup, glanced quickly at Ed, and picked up her spoon. She looked at Ed again and it seemed like he was waiting for her opinion. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and ladled a spoonful of soup into her mouth. "So...how is it?" Ed asked after a moment.

Sara swallowed, and said, "This...is great!"

Ed grinned, "Well I'm glad you like it." She didn't like it, she loved it. Sara downed the soup in 10 minutes. "Feel better?" Ed asked.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. But..." Sara glanced at her right arm. She couldn't move it at all, and trying hurt.

"Listen..." Ed said, "Al and I know a great mechanic back in our hometown. If you don't mind, we were planning on taking you there for repairs."

Sara looked at him, "Well...I gue-...wait a minute..." She suddenly looked angry and Ed was quickly reconsidering. "The tracks from here to Risembool are shut down for maintenance. That would mean..." Sara jumped out of bed - not realizing her leg wouldn't work either - and fell to the floor. Ed was up immediately, hoping she hadn't hurt herself. Sara brought her left arm up and pulled herself up, supported by the bed. Luckily, Kayla had wrapped the bandages so they seemed more like a skin tight top and shorts with normal bandages here and there. Of course, they still seemed like a skimpy bathing suit or underwear. "I KNEW IT!! I shouldn't have trusted you! You're trying to take me back to Central!!"

"What are you talking about?" Ed asked, confused.

"Don't play dumb with me! That damned general sent you to retrieve me, and you pretended to be friendly to lure me into your clutches! You knew the tracks to Risembool were under maintenance, which means we would have to go through Central and that's when you'd take me in!" Sara backed up to the wall and transmuted a railing to pull her up. Her eyes never left him, glaring with utter hatred at Edward.

"What are you talking about?" he asked again, "The only place I plan on taking you to is my mechanic's house. And if we have to pass through Central I'll make sure nothing happens to you, I promise."

"How do I know I can trust you?" she sneered.

"I'm Kayla's cousin and your friend. Have I done anything bad or hurtful towards you these past few days?" Ed asked in a kind voice. Sara thought about it. He hadn't. In fact she found him fun to be with.

"Well...no, you haven't."

Ed smiled.

"Brother, is something...wrong?" Al came into the room, puzzled by the scene before him. "I heard yelling."

"It's ok, Al. I told Sara we were taking her to Risembool and she thought I was taking her to Central to turn her in."

"Why's that?"

"Well, apparently the only way to Risembool from here is through Central."

"Sooo..."

"She hates Roy."

"Oh."

Sara eventually slumped to the floor, unable to hold herself up anymore. Ed ran over to her, "Sara, you ok?" Al followed close behind.

"I'm fine..."

"..Let's get you back in bed," Ed suggested. Ed on her right, and Al on the left, they helped Sara off the floor and back into bed. "Al, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Where're you going?" Al asked.

"To make a phone call," Ed called back as he left the room.

-----------

_Rrriiiing...Rrriiiing...Rrii-click_

"Hello?"

"Hey Winry."

"Hi Ed!"

"Hey listen. I've got a friend here who needs repairs. You think you can help?"

"Well, how bad is it?"

Ed thought about it for a sec, "She'll probably need a complete overhaul."

"Hmmm..."

Ed waited for an answer.

"Sure I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks. We're bringing her home with us. We should back in about two days."

"Ok. See ya then-Oh! And Ed..."

"Hm?"

"Her?" Winry inquired in a sly tone. Ed blushed and said, "I gotta go. See ya soon!" and hung up.

-----------

When Ed returned, Sara's arm was in a sling and she was finishing off some orange slices.

"Who'd you call, brother?" Al asked.

"Winry. I was just letting her know we'd be on our way home soon."

"Should I start packing our things?"

Ed thought about it for a second, and said, "Nah. We're coming back when Sara's fixed up, and Winry has some of our clothes there."

"Ok," Al said, "I'm gonna take these dishes downstairs." Al picked up the dishes and tray, and quickly retreated down the stairs, figuring he'd give Ed and Sara some alone time.

After a few moments of silence, Sara asked, "So, when are we leaving?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?! But...Kyla, Trevor, Koji, Kai, they don't know where I've been," Sara was starting to panic, "I need to tell them where I'm goin-ungh!!" Sara had tried to get up when the pain prevented it. She was clutching her right shoulder and Ed rested his hand on the other to try and calm her down.

"Relax! I've already written a note for Kayla telling her where you are to relay that info to them." Ed pushed her gently, but firmly, back onto her pillow, "You just get some rest, and I'll wake you when it's time to go. Ok?" Sara, reluctantly, nodded and fell asleep.

_**X-X-X-X-X**_

For the first few seconds everything was dark and quiet, the only sounds were of Edward leaving the room and the door shutting behind him. Everything was dead and black for some time, until she finally entered the REM cycle (dream sleep).

This dream started the way most of her dreams did recently: her walking through an infinite darkness, usually 'til the rest of the scenery faded in around her a few moments later. But this time there was no scenery, at first. Everything remained dark and secluded for what seemed like hours, hours that caused her to yell out the names of people she knew and would cause her to collapse from panic, not being able to hear her own voice or to see whatever lies in front or behind her. She was lost and alone in the cold darkness, a heap on ice cold ground that lay crying into her arms, calling names that she couldn't hear. Suddenly, the ground became warm and it felt like she was lying on grass. Her world suddenly became brighter, and someone bent down beside her and rested their hand on her shoulder.

"_Hey_..." His voice sounded familiar somehow...she looked up at him. "_Why are you crying_?" he asked his gentle, friendly voice pleasing to her ears, like a songbird in the spring.

"I'm all alone..." she told him, fresh tears running down her delicate cheeks. She couldn't tell exactly who he was, but knew he was kind, and she could see that he was lean like a wolf and his hair was long and golden like the sun. She wished she could see his eyes; they were shrouded in shadow despite the light around them. He smiled and placed his hand on her cheek, wiping away some stray tears as he spoke.

"_Don't cry...I'm here for you_."

Sara closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, his hand was firm yet gentle and somehow it was comforting.

"_Sara_..." he said. Quickly, his voiced faded and Ed's replaced it. "Sara, wake up." The scene vanished in a flash and returned to the darkness once again as she awoke. "Sara..." His voice was clearer now and gentle as he didn't want to wake her too abruptly. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he smiled and said, "It's time to go."

* * *

**Me:** I'm sorry it took so long to get this up; I've been really busy lately. Hope you enjoyed it, though.

**Sara:** Well that explains why Ed ran off...

**Kayla:** He was embarrassed. Anyway, I'm going to go get something to eat. See ya! (_Walks out of the room_)

**Ed:** _(walks into room)_

**Sara:** You know, that guy in my dream reminded me of you, somehow, Ed. Even his voice was the same...

**Ed:** You had a dream about me?

**Sara:** _(blushes)_ No! I'm just saying that...uh...I gotta go run Den! _(Runs out of the room)_

**Me:** She used your excuse...anyway, see ya next chapter!

_**P.S**_. **- Any ideas for short rants or before and after chapter skits let me know!**


	8. Episode 8: Risembool

**Ed:** _(looks around)_ ...where is she?

**Sara:** I don't know...

**Al:** Maybe she went to the bathroom?

**Sara:** We would've heard something by now...

**Ed:** Well if she's not here one of us will have to type episode 8 for her.

**Al:** I'll do it.

**Ed:** Why you?

**Al:** Because if YOU did it you'd change the story...

**Sara:** Good point.

* * *

_**Episode 8: Risembool**_

"So where's your suitcase?" Ed asked.

"It's in my closet," Sara told him, sitting up. Ed moved to the other side of the bed and opened the closet door. It was about 5 feet in width and 8, maybe 10, feet in length _(or depth; however you want to view it)_. On his left he saw nothing but shelves filled with books, most of them about alchemy. On his right, towards the back, there was nothing but wall space, and closest to the door a metal bar, about 4 feet long, was bolted to the wall. On the bar hung only 3 things: the dress from their day out on her birthday, a simpler blue dress, and an empty hanger. He looked down and underneath the hanging clothing were the suitcase, the Grecian sandals, her boots and a closed wooden box.

"This is your closet? It's more like a mini library." Ed grabbed the suitcase and shut the closet door. "Is that all the clothes you own?" he asked. Sara nodded. Ed sighed, "Well, I guess we'll have to buy you some clothes while we're at it. For now, instead of ruining one of your dresses, you can wear something of ours."

"You don't have to buy me anyth-"

"Sure we do. Believe me; I've got plenty in my account. Hey, Al, you still have my old outfit?"

"Yeah. I'll go get it," Al said as he rushed back to his room.

"Wait...but-" Ed placed a finger to her lips and she stiffened.

"From what Kayla's told me, you don't accept charity from anyone. Don't think of it as charity, think of it as 2 friends helping you get back on your feet again. Now..." Ed removed his finger from her lips and asked, "Anything you want to take with you?"

"Uh...a few of my books would be fine."

"Ok then." Ed returned to the closet and picked out a few books that looked interesting.

"If you could grab my flute, too, that would be great," Sara called to him.

"You have a flute?" she heard him say.

"Yeah, by the door."

Ed looked back at the door and, sure enough, there was a one and a half foot long black case right by the door. "This?" he asked, holding the case as he came out, along with about 6 books.

"Yeah, that's it."

Al came into the room with the outfit folded in his arms. "Here it is brother."

"Thanks, Al." Ed sat the flute case and books in her suitcase and walked back to the other side of the bed. He had also thrown her left boot in there. "Want to help me get her dressed so we can get out of here?"

"WHAT?!" Sara cried nervously.

"Sure, brother."

"Ok then. Take off her sling for now so we can get the shirt on first."

Al untied the fabric sling, holding her arm up so it wouldn't fall. Ed grabbed his old black tank and walked over to Sara's left.

"Arm up," he told her, and she, somewhat embarrassed by the fact that 2 boys were helping her dress, lifted her arm enough for Ed to slip her left arm through and pull the shirt over her head. "Ok now, Al, slip her right arm through."

"Got it." Al carefully slipped her right arm through the other strap-like sleeve and kept hold of it while Ed pulled the shirt down the rest of the way. While Al retied the sling, Ed fetched the pants and helped her slip into them. Once the leather belt was on, they stepped back to evaluate the size of the clothes.

"Hmm..."

"Brother, they look a little big..." Al was right, they were slightly too big for her.

"Well, we can fix that." Ed clapped his hands together and placed one hand on the sleeve of the tank, the other on the belt and pants. Using alchemy, he changed the outfit just slightly, making it curvy and more feminine in design. It fit her form much better now, and was still loose enough that it was comfortable and wouldn't fall off. "And one more thing..." Ed picked up Sara's pocket watch off the nightstand, hooked the ring to her belt, and placed the watch in her right pocket. Once he slipped her right boot on, he said, "I think we're ready to go."

With that, Ed and Al helped Sara out of bed and assisted her on their way to the station. Once on the train, all they could do was wait. On their way, of course, Ed and Al played some cards while Sara slept most of the way. It was quite late and she needed the rest. During one of the train's turns, and while Ed was drawing a card, Sara ended up flopping over towards Ed in her sleep and slept the rest of the way on Ed's shoulder. Needless to say, it caught him off guard.

-----------

_**Meanwhile, in Central...**_

"Finally. That's the last one," Roy said, placing the last of his paperwork on top of the pile. He looked at his pocket watch and found that it was 10 pm. He'd actually finished a little early. Proud of himself, he stood and stretched his back and legs a bit. "Maybe I'll get to go home and sleep for more than two hours," he smirked. The door opened and Hawkeye strolled in. She was dressed in casual attire instead of the usual military uniform, though her hair was still up. "Riza. Come to check on me before you leave?" he asked. He quickly realized she was carrying a stack of papers. "Please, tell me those aren't for me..." he pleaded.

Riza smiled. "No, sir, they're not for you," she said as she sat them on Havoc's desk, "I do have a letter for you, though." Riza reached in her coat and pulled out an envelope, handing it to him.

"A letter?" he asked, puzzled. "From who?"

"Havoc, sir. He had just returned from his recent visit to a town called Hyda, which used to be the second largest city in Amestris," she explained as Roy opened and read the letter.

"He says he witnessed quite a show: 2 chimeras being fended off by 3 kids in their late teens. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir. He called an hour ago and confirmed that 2 of them were Edward and Alphonse Elric. They, too, were in Hyda at the time and have already left for Risembool."

"What about the third?"

"All he could give us was a basic description: female, about 5'3" give or take, brown hair, possibly gold eyes, and automail limbs."

"How does he know she has more than one?"

"He watched the Elric brothers help her board the train before they left an hour ago. He also told us he'd caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the chain of a silver pocket watch on her right hip."

Roy smirked, laughing slightly to himself, and slipped his coat on as he came around the desk.

"Sir?"

"So our little game of hide and seek has come to an end..." he muttered to himself.

As he opened the door, Riza came up behind him and said, "Get plenty of sleep tonight, sir. You have more paperwork to do in the morning." While Roy sulked, Riza strode passed him and into the hall.

"Good night, Roy," Riza called over her shoulder before continuing down the hall. Roy smiled - it was one of the few times she had ever used his first name - and locked the door behind him before starting on his way home for the night.

-----------

_**Back on the train...**_

"Heheheh!"

"Al, shut up! She's asleep!" Ed whispered.

"I know, I know, but-heheheheh your face..." Al couldn't help but snicker. As soon as Sara's head had touched his shoulder Ed's face had immediately turned crimson and he dared not move. Al was enjoying every second of it. Ed didn't want to wake her. For one, she needed the rest, and two, who knows what she'd do if she woke up in that position. When Ed tried to slip out of the chair, he didn't make it far before the train started to turn again, causing Sara's limp body to slip further. Now Ed was stuck where he was with Sara leaning on his chest. He blushed even more, if possible, because her chest was touching his. It was becoming painstakingly clear that she was a heavy sleeper. Al was trying so hard not to burst out laughing he was red in the face. When she started to slip again Ed caught her with his left arm. He didn't need more embarrassment and he didn't want her to fall.

"Attention passengers, now arriving in Central Train Station. Next stop, Risembool," the conductor announced over the intercom. Al stood and stretched a bit before exiting their cab.

"Where are you going?" Ed asked.

"To stretch my legs a little. I'll be back soon," Al answered, and slid the door shut behind him. Ed didn't get a chance to argue; by now Al was on his way to another car. He looked down at Sara, who still lay asleep on his arm. With a sigh, mostly to calm his nerves, Ed lowered Sara down onto his lap and sat quietly, waiting for the train to depart again.

When Al returned, and the train had left Central Station, he slid open the door and found that Ed, too, had fallen asleep. With a smile, Al closed the door behind him as he entered and returned to his seat, where he laid down. Once he was settled, he stole one last look at the two and fell asleep.

-----------

"Attention passengers! Now entering Risembool Station..."

"Ed. Ed! The train's pulling into the station. Get up!" Al said, nudging Ed to wake him. When Ed stirred, Al turned and brought their luggage _(Sara's suitcase)_ down from the rack. Ed reluctantly opened his eyes, yawned, and stretched.

"Alright, I'm up. You said we're pulling in?"

"Yeah. Wake her up and let's get ready."

Ed looked down at his lap where Sara still lay asleep. Ed swallowed back his nerves and nudged her shoulder a bit. "Hey, wake up. We're here."

"Five more minutes..." she mumbled in her sleep.

"Come on. We're pulling into the station..."

Sara mumbled something inaudible and snuggled in closer. Blush crept onto Ed's face. The train stopped and other passengers began to file off the train.

"I guess you'll have to carry her, brother." Al grabbed her suitcase and waited by the open cab door. Ed got up carefully and maneuvered Sara onto his back, carrying her piggy-back. When he placed her arm around his neck and shoulders, her grip tightened. Once he had her situated, he followed Al off of the train and they began their walk to Winry's.

-----------

_**Rockbell residence**_

Winry sat on the balcony outside her room, her new automail out in front of her on a small table. After Ed's call, she'd run down to the cellar to get the automail she'd been working on the night Ed and Al returned, and had been up all night finishing it. She sat back on her stool, admiring her work.

"Winry! They're here!" Pinako called from downstairs. Immediately, she turned to look down the dirt road leading to the house. Sure enough, there they were. Al waved to her and she waved back. Ed would have waved, but given the circumstances, that was impossible. When they were within earshot, she called down to them, "Hey guys! Is that my new victim?"

"Hi Winry! Yeah, this is her," Ed called back up to her.

"Well, bring her in and let's see the damage."

At about that moment Pinako opened the front door followed by a cloud of dust, broom in hand. "Oh, hey boys. You think you could help an old lady with some spring cleaning?"

"Sure!" Al said and hung his coat and over shirt on the porch railing.

"Just give me a second," Ed called. Unfortunately Sara woke up and gave him a whack on the head. Ed fell to his knees holding his head. Sara sat on the ground behind him, an annoyed look on her face despite the blush that also lingered there. "What the HELL was THAT FOR?!" Ed yelled at her.

"You could have woken me up!"

"WHY?! So you can beat me in the head for waking you?!?! And besides, we tried!! You wouldn't wake up!!!!"

"Hey! It wouldn't have been as hard and next time make more of an effort!!!!"

While Ed and Sara argued, Winry ran downstairs and out the front door, mostly because the dust was rising up to the second floor. "Ok guys! I think you're done. Ed, take off your coat and go help granny." Ed did as was told, grumbling under his breath. When Pinako had them busy with moving furniture out of the house, Winry set to work. "Ok. So, you are?" she asked smiling while she kneeled next to her.

"Sara Hatoshi."

"Winry Rockbell. Hatoshi huh? That's an odd last name," Winry said, inspecting Sara's right arm.

"It's actually a false name," Sara whispered to her, "but don't tell anyone that."

"Really? Well, I won't tell a soul...Hmmm. I need to see your leg," she said, rolling up the left pant leg.

"...So, how's it look?" Sara asked, flinching a little.

"Well it looks like Ed was right, you're in bad shape. You'll need a complete overhaul."

Sara sighed, "I was afraid of that."

During the whole inspection, Ed and Al had been hauling out furniture, Ed glancing over at the girls now and then.

"Thanks boys. I suggest you stay out here while I get to work," Pinako said.

"Ok," Ed and Al both responded, and then walked over to the girls.

"So?" Ed asked.

"She'll need completely new bases. It's not just breaks; rust is working its way up to her shoulder. If you had met her a month later she would've needed to go to the hospital." Winry stood, "I'll need to run into town. Why don't you guys bring Sara and show her around."

"And HOW exactly am I supposed to get around?" Sara inquired.

"Ed could carry you again," Al suggested.

"Eh-heh, yeah I don't think so," Ed said, giving Al an annoyed stare.

"Ha! I can take care of myself, thanks!" Sara said looking away from Ed.

"Oh yeah? Tell me then...how are you going to get around with only 2 limbs and some scrap metal?" Winry asked cleverly. Sara glared at her; Winry had a point. "And besides, Ed, I thought you two liked each other."

Both Ed and Sara blushed and yelled, "Me like HIM/HER?! FAT CHANCE!!" at her.

-----------

Unfortunately for Ed and Sara, Winry and Al had their way and Ed carried Sara through Risembool. Whenever Winry stopped by a shop, Ed and Sara would sit on a nearby bench, mostly to give Ed a chance to catch his breath and rest a bit. Though the first few minutes were silent, Sara did eventually start asking questions that Ed was, actually, willing to answer. Al would even give some input, though most of the time he just watched the two from a distance. Since Sara had never been to Risembool she had plenty of questions, which kept Ed entertained while Winry was buying supplies and such. As Al and Winry observed them from afar - usually Winry in the store looking out the window and Al across the street - it seemed like the more they fought the closer they got afterwards. Once the parts were bought and the tour done, the four teens returned to the house just before dusk. Luckily Pinako had finished cleaning and some neighbors were helping to get the furniture back inside. Ed and Sara went to bed _(obviously in separate rooms)_ in a huff that night - they'd had another argument - and Winry discussed building and replacing Sara's bases with Pinako. No one disturbed Sara that night; she was going to need the energy to endure the hell that awaited her the next day.

* * *

**Al:** Hope you enjoyed. Be on the lookout for episode 9!

**Sara:** _(walks into room)_ I couldn't find her...could you?

**Ed:** No, but I did find this note

**Sara:** _(reads note)_ _"Hey guys, my friends invited me over to watch Pirates 3, be back soon"_ She went to a party and didn't take us?!

**Al:** She probably couldn't find us. We did go out for breakfast this morning...

**Sara:** Yes that's true, but still!! She could have called us-

**Ed:** Calm down!

**Sara:** Oh shut up PIPSQUEAK!!!

**Ed:** WHO YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK MIDGET?!?!?!

**Al:** _(while they're fighting in the background)_ Please review!


	9. Episode 9: Repairs

Hey guys and gals!! I've returned!! 

**Ed:** Where the hell did you go?!

**Me:** I've been getting calls every morning from my friends asking me to come over and help film and the such, so sue me.

**Ed:** I might just-

**Sara:** I wouldn't do that.

**Ed:** And why not?

**Sara:** _(uses soft, scary voice)_ Because,..she's the author.

**Ed:** ...

**Sara:** Do you remember the last time you tried to do something to an author?

**Ed:** _(remembers slamming into a wall, the ceiling, almost being thrown into a tank of sharks; sweat drops)_ ...yeah

**Me:** Well then, ONWARD MEN!!!..and women!

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**_Episode 9: Repairs_**

Ed and Al awoke early that morning to Sara's screams of pain while Winry and Pinako could be heard trying to calm her down. Ed bolted out of bed, some deep instinct implanted in the back of his mind compelling him to go downstairs, and flew down the stairs, around a corner, and down the hall to the operating room and wrenching the door open quickly.

"AAAAGH!!"

"Sara just relax!" Winry said.

"YOU try to relax when you're sitting on an ice cold operating table while two strangers are trying to rip off your LIMBS!!!" Sara yelled. They had already removed the limbs themselves and working on removing the bases.

"Edward!" Winry cried, suddenly realizing he was at the door. "Thank GOD you're here!" she said quickly, moving behind him to push him toward the table. "Listen, we need you to calm her down for us." She stopped him on Sara's left.

"But-"

"Thanks for helping!"

Ed sighed. He hadn't even thought to put on some clothes, so he was just standing there in his boxers. A small, sarcastic thought crossed Sara's mind: _Well, at least I don't have to ask.._ Winry resumed her attempt to remove the bases while Sara clenched her teeth, trying not to scream out in pain. Ed could only stand by and wonder what he could do to help. Sara yelped and her left hand flew to the closest object she could reach and hold on to, which she thought was the edge of the table. She had, instead, grabbed onto Ed's right hand. Ed was a bit surprised, but he didn't try to take his hand away. Her eyes were shut tight while she cringed. The pain was unbearable, Ed knew. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes and she was starting to whimper.

"Just hold on a little longer, Sara. We're almost finished detaching your nerves from the bases." Winry told her.

Sara was beginning to cry now. Ed couldn't stand to see her like this. In an attempt to comfort her, and slightly on impulse, Ed placed his left hand over hers and spoke to her in a quiet, comforting voice.

"Hey, look at me.."

Sara opened her eyes and turned to him. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. He was smiling at her, "Just keep your eyes on me.." He hoped making her focus on him would distract her from the pain, if only momentarily. It seemed to work. Now he just needed to keep her attention.

"Umm..hey, could you tell me about your wolves?" he asked in an almost fatherly tone, while also thinking he was a complete idiot.

"L-Like what?" she croaked. Her throat was a little sore from earlier.

"Ummm..like..like why you named Trevor what you did.." he suggested.

She didn't really like the idea of being treated like a little kid, but she was in so much pain she didn't care. "Well, I used to have this stuffed animal.." she started hesitantly.

"What kind was it?" Ed asked, just glad that he was keeping her distracted.

"A dog. When I got it for my..I think, my 6th birthday, I called it Trevor. He reminded me of that, so I named him after it."

"Where is it now?" Ed asked, slightly curious.

"I don't have it anymore." she said simply.

"We're finished." Winry told them.

"We'll wait a few hours before we install your new bases. This way you can get some rest." Pinako added. She and Winry had already finished bandaging the old, newly re-opened wounds and were cleaning up.

"Good..." Sara said sleepily before falling asleep.

"Ed, why don't you put her on the cot."

"Ok." Ed slipped his hand from her grasp and carefully picked her up bridal style. He carried her to the cot at the other end of the room, where he gently placed her under the covers and left her to rest. He sat down in a small chair nearby and looked at the clock - 8:30 a.m. He'd been up for 2 hours already. "Well, I guess there's no point in going back to sleep.." he muttered to himself.

Winry and Pinako left room to fix breakfast. Pinako poked her head back through the doorway and said, "Edward, perhaps you should put some clothes on.."

"Yeah, I was just about to go do that." Ed replied, standing up. Pinako left the room again, and Ed glanced at Sara again before heading back upstairs.

-----------

When Ed returned to his room, Al was already up and dressed. He was just about to head down when Ed came back.

"So?" he asked.

"She's asleep now. They finished removing the old bases and they're giving her a few hours before attaching the new ones."

"That's good." Al said smiling, and then retreating downstairs while Ed dressed. Before Ed grabbed his clothes, he searched for his wallet to see how much he had. Once that was done, he threw on his clothes and flew downstairs.

-----------

Sara woke sometime before noon, though she couldn't tell what time it was since the lights were out and there were no windows in the room. She closed her eyes again, allowing the rest of her body to catch up. She didn't usually sleep in, and when she did she had problems getting up in the morning. She looked to her left when the door opened. The lights flicked on and she closed her eyes, not yet focused.

"Hey, you're awake." Ed walked over and sat next to the bed. "So how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Blinded and sore" she responded.

Ed laughed a little.

"What time is it?" she asked, looking at him.

"11:45 a.m."

"No wonder I'm so tired..hmm?" Sara noticed the box in Ed's hands. "What's that?" she asked.

Ed smiled. "You'll see." He stood and nudged the chair out of the way so he could kneel next to the bed. Sara got up on her left elbow and watched him. When he opened the box, she could see a bunch of small pouches, most likely filled with various powders. Ed poured their contents in a pile on the floor in front of him, clapped, and put his hands to the floor, transmuting the powders. There was a brief flash of light and then the powders were replaced by an object. A stuffed animal, canine, only a foot long from nose to the base of the tail. Its tail added about 5 inches, and it had the same coloring and patterns of Trevor's fur. Ed picked it up and handed it to her. She stared at him for awhile before taking it. Even its eyes were the right color.

Ed smiled and stood, "I'll go get you some lunch." He turned to leave and had just about to walk out when Sara looked up and muttered two simple words.

"Thank you."

He looked back and smiled again before continuing on his way to the kitchen. Sara smiled and layed on her back, holding the dog out in front of her before holding it close. It looked like Trevor, but it smelled like Edward and that's what she liked the most about it.

-----------

After lunch, Winry and Pinako gave her an hour before attaching the new bases. For her, that hour went by quickly because she sat there and stared at her toy dog. She even played with it for awhile. She almost felt like a kid again. When the hour was up, Winry and Pinako, followed by Ed, told her it was time to attach the bases. The first thing out of her mouth, without realizing it, and probably the first small hint that showed she liked him was, "Is Ed staying?"

Winry laughed a little, seeing Ed blush slightly. Pinako went and prepped for the operation.

"Yes, he will." Winry answered, giggling, "Ed can you bring her to the operating table?" _(I think I failed to mention Sara is wearing shorts and one of Winry's T-shirts for the surgery, and yes they got rid of the old bandages.)_

Sara had a sudden relapse, "HUH?!"

"Ok." Ed pulled the blankets off and picked her up, again, bridal style. Sara, unable to fight back, blushed furiously as he carried her to the table.

-----------

Attaching the new bases went about as well as - maybe better than - removing the old ones. After waiting another few hours, they attached the new limbs to the bases and let her rest.

It was about 3:00 pm when they finished and 3:30pm before Sara could sit up. The whole time she lay on the cot, she kept her toy dog close. Ed sat nearby reading a book, looking up at her now and then. Al came in at about 3:25 to see how she was.

"Hey guys!" he said.

"Hi, Al. I haven't seen you all day." Sara greeted.

"I've been helping around the house. Hey, brother, you up for a game?" Al asked, holding up a deck of cards.

Ed closed his book, smirking. "You're on!"

Al pulle a chair over while Ed set up a table between them. Sara just watched for the first five minutes. She couldn't understand their fascination. with the game, as she'd never played any card games before. But those first five minutes were enough to figure out how to play. At 3:30, Sara felt good enough to sit up and watch. Occasionally, she would lean over and look at Ed's hand, and then at Al's. After another 10 minutes of this, she asked, "Can I play?" Ed and Al said sure and they started a new game. By 4:00 pm she was beating them both. Luckily they weren't actually betting anything.

-----------

By 4:05 pm the next day, Sara wanted to put her new automail to the test. Winry didn't like the idea of getting rough with it this early, and suggested she wait a few weeks. Sara argued with her for hours on the subject saying she was fine, but in the end she agreed to wait a couple days. What Winry didn't understand was that she was a fast healer. It was a fact about her that had been established when she first got her automail almost 7 years ago. Also, Sara was starting to feel homesick and didn't want to spend more than a few days in Risembool at the most. After a couple days, she dragged Ed and Al into the front yard, itching for a sparring match, something she hadn't done in awhile.

"So which of you wants to come at me first?" she asked confidently. Al took off his overshirt and hung it on the porch railing.

"I guess I'll go first. If that's ok with you, brother."

"Sure, Al."

Sara got into a a fighting stance, ready for Al's attack. Al came at her quickly, sending a punch at her head, but she dodged it. Al quickly swung his other arm around to catch her off guard and she blocked with her right arm. She quickly grabbed his arm with both hands and flipped him; he lay on the ground, looking up at a smirking Sara, who was already prepared for another attack. Al sweeped his leg under her feet to trip her, but she saw it comig and backflipped to avoid it. She was quickly back into her stance before Al stood up. Ed was amazed and fairly impressed; he'd never been able to beat Al - flesh or metal - and here she did so in one swift move.

"Well, now things are getting interesting.." Ed muttered, rolling up his sleeves.

Ed and Al took turns sparring with her 'til 5:07 pm. They'd even teamed up a few times, and they still hadn't won yet.

"Supper will be ready soon!" Winry called out the door.

"Ok!" Al called back.

"What do ya say to one last round before dinner?" Ed proposed.

"Sure. Gives me a chance to kick your ass again." Sara retorted.

"It also gives me a chance to win again."

"I DOUBT YOU WILL!!" Sara cried as she charged at Edward. He blocked her kicks and punches, and attacked by punching at her. She dodged and tried to trip him, but he backflipped out of the way and came at her again. He eventually found an opening; he punched at her again, causing a similar sequence, but instead of him flipping out of danger he jumped and sweeped at her feet. When she backflipped he ran after her until she stopped. When she did, he tripped her and pinned her to the ground. 5:25 pm. They were both panting and remembered their game of tag they'd played almost a week ago, especially how it had ended. They both blushed and Ed stood, offering to help her up. Sara smirked and sweeped his feet, causing him to fall.

"HEY!" Ed yelled, sitting up. Sara smiled, giggling. Though it was rare sound that Ed had not yet heard from her, he couldn't help but smile.

-----------

The next day, they said their goodbyes and boarded the train. Before it left, Al ran back over to Winry, who'd come to see them off, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before running back onto the train. Ed didn't see this, but Sara had and it made her wonder what it must be like. As they settled in one of the booths, the train creeped forward on the tracks, gaining speed as it left the station. They were finally on their way back.

Unfortunately... "WHAT?!?!" Sara yelled. The train had stopped at Central station and hadn't moved for over an hour. Al had gone off to find out what was going on, and when he returned, he told them that the tracks to Hyda from Central had been blocked by a derailed train. Which basically, in Sara's mind, ment they were stuck in the military hell hole that is Central until they could find another way to get there or until the derailed train was moved off the track. "Of all places.." she muttered to herself, whining just a smidge. "Of all places, we just had to get stuck in Central." she moped. They eventually had to drag her off the train, and she obviously didn't go without a fight. Ed and Al had no idea why she was making such a big deal out of it. Once she was off the train she basically gave up resisting and followed them out of the station. She resembled a poor, disheartened puppy who had been forced to wear a collar, leash, and idiotic costume, dragged onto the streets and had lost all hope for escape, following her master everywhere they went, crying T-T. She had tried so hard to avoid this place and all her efforts were crushed in one tiny, insignificant second.

They walked through Central, taking in familiar sites, though some in better spirits than others. They stopped at a hotel and got a room, knowing it would be awhile, and dropped off their luggage. Unfortunately for Sara it was only a block from Central HQ; a place she thought she'd be able to avoid for the rest of her life, and it was right next door.

_Well, it could be worse.._ Sara told herself.

"Hey, brother, why don't we go visit HQ?" Al suggested.

_Oh NO!! _Sara was hoping, praying, that Ed not say yes to that..

"Sure, why not."

All hope shattered. _Do they enjoy torturing me?!_ she thought, following them out the door, _Someone up there must hate me.._

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Well, there ya go! I'm sorry it took so long to update.

**Al:** Ya know, brother, you seem to be really cooperative lately.

**Ed:** What are you talking about?

**Al:** Well, everytime Winry asked you to move Sara from the table to the bed, you'd say ok, pick her up and move her. Also, you made her a doll not to long ago.

**Me:** And everytime I see her she's got that thing somewhere nearby.

**Ed:** _(blush)_ Eh..

**Me:** You _are_ being really nice to her lately.

**Ed:** So? Is it a crime to help people?

**Al:** Nooo, but it makes it look like you _like_ her..

**Ed:** NO IT DOESN'T!!

**Sara:** _(walks in holding stuffed dog)_ Who likes who now?

**Ed:** Eh! Nobody, really! Uuuh, please rate and review, bye!


	10. Episode 10: Reunion

Sorry I've been gone so long. Ever since school started I've been having troubles getting a hold of the computer. But I'm back, and I'll try to update when I can. 

**Ed:** _(throws self face down on bed)_

**Sara:** What's wrong with you?

**Ed:** mmm mrmmred

**Sara:** Huh?

**Al:** He said he's tired.

**Sara:** Why?

**Al:** He's had a tough week.

**Sara:** Hmmm... _(suddenly peppy)_ Well maybe a back massage will help!

**Ed:** _(lifts head)_ WHAT?!

**Me:** Oh this'll be good. Enjoy!

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**_Episode 10: Reunion_**

"I'm NOT going in!"

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"I hate this place."

Ed and Al stood on the front steps of Central HQ. They'd only made it halfway up the steps when Sara stopped at the bottom, refusing to go forward.

"If that's so, why do you hate it so much?" Ed asked, slightly annoyed.

"Because that BASTARD'S IN THERE!!" Sara yelled.

Ed just stared at her for few seconds before asking, "And?"

"I HATE HIM!! THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!" Sara yelled again in a huff and looked away, arms crossed. Ed could understand hating Roy, but he was also friends with the guy. They got along just fine...occasionally. Well, Ed wasn't going to just leave her there. With an exasperated sigh, Ed walked back down the stairs and grabbed one of her arms. Before Sara knew what was going on, she was being dragged up the stairs. "HEY! LET GO OF ME!!" she yelled, trying to wrench her arm out of his grasp. Ed stopped and turned to her, whispering, "If you don't come in, I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you in.." He waited for a response, one eyebrow raised. Sara couldn't stand the idea of being embarrassed in such a manner. She came willingly behind them, and entered through the doors, muttering to herself.

-----------------

"Hey Fullmetal! Good to see you again."

"Hey, Fullmetal, who's that you brought with ya?"

"Quite the looker!"

It was obvious that most of the military had no idea where he'd been the past couple of years. Roy had told him that he'd covered him by telling the military Ed was taking a well needed vacation. What a lie that was. Now, various military personnel greeted or teased him as they passed through the halls. Sara added this as another reason she didn't want to be here. She felt so embarressed and was trying to hide behind Ed's shoulders. Ed just ignored the comments, waving to some of the more familiar faces as he passed. Al did the same.

"Hey, Al, d'you remember which one is Mustang's office?"

"I think we need to head up first, and it should be the fifth set of doors to the left." _(Obviously, I don't know where it is either)_

Once they were standing out his office doors, Sara tried sneaking away one last time only for Ed to grab the back of her belt to keep her from getting away. She growled at him as Al knocked on one of the large doors.

"Come in." called Roy's annoyingly smooth voice from beyond the doors. As the doors opened and they strode through, familiar voices greeted them.

"Hey! We heard you'd come back!"

"Welcome back, boys!" and various other things. I think you know who from-oh! and apparently Armstrong was visiting because Ed was given a bone-crushing hug and joyful greeting from him,..of which was so long I can't remember what he said. Armstrong still scared Ed a little. Al laughed, of course. Once Ed was placed back on the floor, Sara tried sneaking out the door again. Ed dragged her back into the room and shut the door, preventing her escape.

"Well, who's this? A friend of yours, Ed?" Havoc called from his desk. Sara ducked behind Ed again, wanting nothing to do with anyone in the room.

"What, Jean, you don't recognize her?" Roy said, standing, "So tell me, Sara, how are things back in Hyda?"

Sara came out from behind Ed, suddenly agitated, and glared at Roy, arms crossed. "Just fine, if you must know.." That when she noticed his eye patch, "So tell me, Roy, what happened to your eye? Did a pretty bird poke it out because she didn't like your tail feathers and practiced cliche?, or are you pretending to be a pirate so you can practice for the Halloween ball?"

Havoc and Breda snickered a little at her remark. Roy smirked, "You haven't lost your touch, Silverwolf. Or should I say puppy?"

"I'M NOT LITTLE!!"

"Sure you're not.."

"Sir, I think you should get back to your paperwork.." Riza warned, the click of a safety trigger sounding from under her desk.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Roy sat back down in his seat and got back to work.

"Well, I guess while I'm here, I should say hi to one of the few friends I have here.." Sara sighed, turning to the door. Roy's pencil froze; he already knew what she was going to ask. "Do you guys know where Hughes' office is?" When she didn't get a response she turned and scanned the room. Everyone's heads were bowed, a solemn look on their faces. "What's wrong?" she asked, unaware of the vivid truth that hung heavily in the air. Riza made to stand, but Ed stopped her.

"I'll do it.." Ed turned to Sara and muttered, "Follow me.."

-----------------

Sara had a sinking feeling in her stomach as they entered the cemetery. When Ed stopped, Sara came around and read the name on the headstone before them: _Brigadier General Hughes; Husband, Father, and Beloved Friend._ She fell to her knees, stunned. It couldn't be, it just couldn't..

"How could this..who..when did he..?" she choked.

"From what I've been told, he was shot on his way home after a run-in with the homunculi. Apparently he'd discovered something important and they-"

"Which one?" she interrupted.

Ed was confused at first, but quickly realized what she was asking. "Envy" he answered.

Sara bowed her head, "Typical..killed by that shapeshifting bastard.." she muttered. Ed could see her shoulders shaking; she was holding back tears.

"I'll give you a moment alone.." he said, "I'll wait for you by the entrance." Ed turned and started heading toward the gate of the cemetery.

"No..Let's head back now.." Sara said, standing; her voiced wavered slightly as she spoke.

"Ok.." Ed answered, and they began their long walk back to HQ in silence.

-----------------

When they arrived back at HQ Roy's office had a cheery atmosphere once again. Surprisingly, Roy had finished his paperwork early. He was currently engaged in a conversation with Havoc and Falman.

"I'm going back to the hotel.." Sara whispered in Ed's ear. She had already started to leave when he turned around. He could hear whispering from behind him, but ignored it and followed her into the hallway.

"Hey.."

Sara paused, waiting for him to continue.

"..be careful, ok?"

She turned slightly so she could see him over her shoulder, a sad smile crossing her lips. "I will.."

"Ok. I'll-I mean, we'll see ya later."

Sara waved bye and continued on her way down the hall, her smile fading. Ed watched her until she disappeared down the stairs and returned to the room, closing the door behind him. When he looked up, Al was missing and every officer in the room was grinning at him. Armstrong had left earlier, and Riza was still doing paperwork.

"What?" Ed asked nervously.

"You like her don't you Fullmetal?" Havoc asked slyly.

A slight blush crept onto Ed's face and he tried to hide it with an annoyed glare. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it, you have a crush on this girl!" Breda added.

"No I DON'T!!" Ed exclaimed.

"You know, Edward, she is quite a catch. Especially for a first love.." Roy commented.

"And she seems to be your perfect match," Havoc said, "You're both stubborn, you're state alchemists, you both have height issues-"

"I DON'T HAVE ISSUES!!" Ed's face was turning a light crimson color, out of embarrassment or anger no one could tell.

"The point is she's perfect, Fullmetal. If I were you, I look into dating this one." Roy advised.

"AGH! It's not LIKE that! We're just friends!!" Ed exclaimed.

"Sure..If you're wondering where Al went to he ran off to visit Gracia and Elysia."

Ed glared at him, now just plain annoyed. "So, now you're saying you can read my mind? Great, I'm glad we had this chat.." Ed turned to leave when Roy called, "Fullmetal.." Ed turned back around and waited.

"What?"

"Meet me back here at 1600 hours.."

"...oookaay. I'll see ya later, then."

-----------------

Roy seems to be too happy.. Ed thought as he opened the door to their room on the 4th floor. It seemed empty, dead silent..too quiet for his tastes. He shut the door quietly and looked around the dark room, flipping the light switch when he couldn't make anything out. Furniture was flipped, the mattresses of both beds -there was only two beds and a couch- on floor, the sheets missing. A door leading to an extra room that connected to the main one was barely hanging on the wall by one hinge. It was almost as if there had been a battle in their hotel room.

Ed checked his pocket watch for the time, as the clock above the beds was mangled beyond recognition. 2:35pm. Hastily stuffing his watch back in his pocket, Ed ran to the door of the other room, peering around the door frame. He found a similar scene, only the sheets were piled in the middle. He noticed the sheets moved slightly on occasion; whatever lay under them, he hoped it wasn't a homunculus. He'd had enough of them to last a life time. It was a silly thought, though, because he hadn't seen any since Envy was used as a sacrifice to open the gate.

He crept up to it slowly, old memories flooding his mind all at once. Once he was close enough he knelt down and pulled off the top sheet. It was Sara. Her face was turned away from him, so he couldn't really see it. She lay on her right side, her back to him, shoulders shaking from silent tears. She was holding her toy dog in a tight embrace; it must have brought some comfort to her.

"Hey.." he whispered gently, placing his left hand on her left shoulder. She jumped slightly at his touch. She knew it was him, it's just that she was used to feeling fur or clothing, not someone else's skin, on hers. "Are you ok?" he asked.

Sara sat up, not looking at him, and tried to wipe away her tears. "Yeah, I'm ok..just got a little upset is all.."

"Yeah, I can tell." Ed said, laughing a little.

Sara turned around, finally feeling happy enough to face him. "Yeah.. I-I'll fix it in a few minutes..Where's Al?"

"Hm? Oh! He's visiting Gracia."

"Maes' wife?"

"Yeah. You want to go?"

Sara thought about it and said, "Sure, why not."

-----------------

"Here we are." Ed knocked on the door while Sara looked around. Not much had changed since she'd been here last..She wondered when that was.. When the door opened she turned back around.

"Well hello, Edward. Your brother's already here. Come in." Gracia greeted happily at the door, standing aside as they entered the house. Sara followed Ed inside as Gracia shut the door behind them. "It's so nice to see. When Al showed up we figured you wouldn't be far behind."

"We?" Sara wondered aloud.

"Elysia and I. She was so happy to see Al that she knocked the poor boy to the floor."

Ed laughed. Sara was still confused. "So where are they anyway?" Ed asked, still laughing a little.

"If I'm right, they should be in the living room.. So who is this, your new girlfriend?"

They both blushed, "NO, we're just friends!"

"Ok, ok. Why don't you two go to the living room and I'll be back in a moment."

"Ok." Ed answered.

When they walked into the living room Ed was greeted by a fast hug around the waste.

"Hi, Elysia. Long time no see." Ed smiled.

Elysia let go and smiled up at him. "So where've you been? It's been a long time since you last came over."

By now Sara had figured out who Elysia was.

"I've been really busy lately." Ed answered. "So tell me, how old are you now?"

Elysia took a second and counted. "I'm six!"

Sara became lost in her own thoughts as she watched them. He's so good with kids.. she thought, He'll make a great father someday.

Elysia looked up at her and asked Edward, "Is she your girlfriend?" This brought Sara out of her trance.

"Why does everyone think that?" she muttered.

-----------------

"Al, Sara, I'll meet you back at the hotel!" Ed called as he ran out the door.

"Ok!"

Ed had almost forgotten that Mustang wanted him there by 4:00pm. It was already 3:50 and it would take 8 minutes if he ran, to get to HQ. Maybe more.

-----------------

Roy stood at the window behind his desk, watching Ed run up to the building. He timed him to see how long it would take him the cross the premises. 30 seconds later: "Sorry I'm late!" Ed said as he walked through the door. Roy placed his watch back in his pocket and turned around.

"No harm done, Fullmetal. Go ahead and sit down."

Ed sat in the couch closest to the desk and asked, "So, what do you want?"

Roy came around his desk and sat across from him. "Just a moment of your time. You've probably been wondering what connection I may have with Ms. Hatoshi, am I right?"

"Actually, I have."

Roy closed his eyes, thinking back. When he opened them again he said, "I knew her parents. They were both state alchemists, very talented in their fields. When they were off duty, they would come to HQ just to visit and they always brought their children with them.." He paused before continuing, "During the Ishbal Rebellion, they were shot by mistake. The military, as a sort of repentance for their sins I guess, cremated their bodies and brought the ashes back to Hyda for a proper funeral...I think I'll let Sara tell you the rest of that story. Now, a few years ago, there was a large fire here in Central. Sara had been nearby and had rushed in to save who she could. For whatever reason, once she saved those people, she ran back into the building. It was about to collapse so I ran after her, thinking she was trying to commit suicide. After the fire was put out, I told her she owed me one and she's hated me ever since." Roy leaned back in the couch.

"Why would someone hate you for saving their life?" Ed thought out loud.

"I have no idea. You know, she's a lot like you. Maybe more than you know.." Roy sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "That said, how do you feel about her?" Roy asked with his trademark smirk.

"Why does everyone assume I like her?!"

"Because of 3 things: **1)** your face says otherwise, **2)** because you have a fit when someone asks, and **3)** she follows you everywhere hiding behind your shoulders."

Ed crossed his arms, annoyed. When he didn't answer Roy's question, Roy said, "I guess it's too soon to ask. Anyway, the military is having our annual Spring ball in a month. I suggest you bring Sara along."

"Why?" Ed asked.

"Well, who knows, maybe by then you'll know her a little better." Roy answered. "Well, I'll let you go. I've got to get home early today." Roy said standing. Ed stood as well and walked over to the door.

"What for? You have a date or something?"

"Actually, yes."

"Who with? Some random girl off the street?"

"Not this time." Roy answered as he grabbed his coat.

-----------------

_Back at the hotel.._

"WHAAT?! Roy and Riza are DATING?!"

"I think so.." Ed answered after uncovering his ears.

"What was she thinking? A few years ago she never even considered going out with the guy and now she's dating him!" Sara said, pacing back and forth, "Does someone up there hate me?!"

"Feelings change over time.." Al added, "She probably just changed her mind about him-"

"Yeah, but still! Roy?! He's the biggest womanizer in Amestris and everyone in the military knows it!!

"Amen to that.." Ed called over his shoulder. He and Al were cleaning up the trashed hotel room while they let Sara fume for a minute. She'd made quite a mess in her fit of despair. But it seemed that visiting Gracia and Elysia calmed her down, and she'd moved on to something else. When Ed and Al finished, Sara was still fuming. So, they guided over to one of the beds and made her lay down while she still rambled on unaware. When she was covered and Ed has heard enough, he placed one finger on her lips, causing her to shut up in that instant. "Goodnight" they told her and turned off the lights on their way to bed.

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There ya go! Finally, episode 10 is finished!

**Al:** Now you can start episode 11.

**Me:** Oh so true, but first... _(turns towards bed where Sara is straddling Ed's back while she massages his shoulders)_

**Sara:** Just relax...you're so tense.. _(starts humming some random song)_

**Ed:** _(moans)_ mmmuu mmiills mmeea _(head's still in pillow, but he's obviously relaxed and happy)_

**Sara:** What? _(continues massaging)_

**Ed:** _(lifts head)_ I said that feels great _(plops head back in pillow)_

**Me:** _(whispers to Al)_ He's putty in her hands

**Al:** _(Snickers)_

**Me:** Well you know the drill. Please rate and review, and we'll see you next chapter!


	11. Episode 11: Nightmares or Sins

So here we go. Episode 11...and I can't think of anything to say... 

**Ed:** What do you mean you can't think of anything to say? _(still being massaged)_

**Sara:** Quiiieeet...just relax, let her take care of the chapter.

**Me and Al:** _(kitty grin)_

**Me:** Hee hee..Enjoy the chapter!

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_**Episode 11: Nightmares or Sins**_

The next day, Ed lay on the couch staring at the ceiling while deep in thought. He and Sara had just returned from a recent visit to the general's office. Obviously Sara was not happy being there for the second time in two days, but kept her mouth shut as to not make things worse. After the general argument about their height, Roy had asked about the details of the events in Hyda. They told him all they could, but obviously some things hadn't added up. Before they left, Roy attempted apologizing to Sara, as well as comforting her, by giving her a late B-day present. It was a black, leather bound book with blank pages in which she currently sat scribbling in, though what Ed couldn't tell. She had been like that since they returned from their quick visit, and he was starting to become a little curious.

Though his main concern should have been over what was going on in Hyda, this was not the case; he was more occupied by his discussion with Roy from yesterday. _'I think I'll let Sara tell you the rest of that story.' '-she's a lot like you. Maybe more than you know..' 'the military is having our annual Spring ball in a month. I suggest you bring Sara along.'_ Many questions floated around in Edward's head: _What were they hiding? What had happened to the rest of her family? Where had she been those days she'd been missing? If he asked her, would she say yes? Would she even want to go? Did she even like him at all? Most importantly, did he even like her that way?_ He found himself thinking in circles as he became lost in his thoughts.

He didn't even notice that Sara had been watching him for the past five minutes. _What is he thinking about?_ she asked herself before returning to her book. Her first entry had been a poem; nothing to big, just something she'd come up with off the top of her head. Next to it, on the next page, she'd taken advantage of Ed's stillness and was sketching a picture of him. After putting in the final touches, she snapped her book shut and walked over to the couch. Sara waved her hand in his face and got no response.

"Wow, you're really out of it.." she muttered. "Ed..Edward...ED!!" Even when she yelled his name in his ear he didn't answer. She decided to try a different approach and said, "Hey, shrimp-"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU PEOPLE I'M NOT A SHRIMP!!" Ed now sat upright yelling at air. When he calmed down he noticed Sara had moved, and apparently was still staring at him. "What?"

"What were you thinking about?"

Ed blushed slightly, "Uuh..nothing."

"Somehow I doubt that.." she sighed.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, what were you writing in that book of yours?" Ed asked, blush fading.

This time, Sara was the one who was blushing. "None of your business.." she snapped.

They glared at each other for ten minutes, neither one wanting to give in first. Al walked through the door and looked up to find two sets of glaring eyes cast in his direction.

"Uuuuhh...did I miss something?" he asked nervously.

Ed and Sara glanced at each other quickly before she walked off to plop down on one of the beds and close her eyes, ignoring them.

Al blinked, "I guess not..Well, I was going to see if you two wanted to go for a walk, but-"

"No thanks." Sara called from the bed.

"I'd be glad to." Ed sneered, standing and leaving the room.

Al peered back into the room before following his older brother down the hall. "Another argument?" Al asked straight out. Ed let out an exasperated sigh. "Is that a yes or a no?" Al asked.

"...no.." Ed muttered, realizing how stupid they'd been, "I think we're starting to argue with each other over nothing."

"Well I could've told you that." Al laughed.

Ed waved to the man at the front desk as they left the building and came onto the streets. "Al?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"Wh-hat?" Al laughed again.

"It seems like most of the time I'm arguing with Sara over the most ridiculous things, and like earlier over nothing at all.." Ed explained, watching the ground pass beneath his feet.

"It could be that you're not used to having a girl around all the time and she's homesick.." Al reasoned.

"That's possible-"

"And it could be that you two like each other."

"WHAT?! I DON'T LIKE HER!! What would make you think THAT?!" Ed yelled nervously.

"Because you're blushing.." Al grinned at his red-faced brother, "And you're always staring at her.." Ed's blush deepened, "AND you make a big fuss when someone asks if she's your girlfriend." Ed let his hair fall in his face, attempting to hide it, as they continued down the street.

-----------

"N..no, leave them alone.." she mumbled in her sleep. "No...No!...NO!!" Sara sat up quickly, eyes wide, heart racing. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down, but it didn't last long.

"Long time, no see.." a voiced sneered behind her.

She stiffened; she knew that voice. Turning quickly she clapped her hands and transmuted her arm into a blade, slashing at the person to whom the voice belonged.

-----------

Ed and Al decided to turn back after an hour. While they were walking, Al suggested that Sara was probably homesick and not used to being around those of the opposite gender, and that maybe they should try to make her feel more comfortable around them. Ed didn't understand how she could be uncomfortable around them. She'd been around them for over a week already and being a military member, unless she'd traveling every day, it was impossible to escape a masculine influence. But he played along and decided they'd all go out for lunch.

Ed stopped a block away from the hotel, confused. "What's going on?"

Military personnel were stationed outside the hotel surrounding piles of debris. Al looked up and found the source of the damage.

"Brother?"

"What is it, Al?"

"Isn't that our hotel room?"

Ed followed Al's gaze to find a gaping hole in the wall a few stories up. His breath caught in his throat; it was their hotel room. Without giving it another thought, Ed and Al ran into the hotel and climbed the stairs, ignoring protests from the other officers as they passed. When they reached their floor they could easily see Roy standing outside the open door of their hotel room, listening to another officer's report. Riza, as always, stood close by, hand on the gun its holster on her hip. As the lower ranked officer left, Ed and Al ran up to the general.

"What the hell happened here?" Ed asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Roy responded.

"From what we can find, it seems there was a struggle between an alchemist and an unidentifiable creature of some sort." Riza informed them.

Ed began inspecting the room himself, searching for any clues while Roy continued. "Since you three were staying here, and apparently left Sara alone, we can only guess she was attacked while you were out."

"But who would attack her in the middle of the day like that?" Al questioned while Ed continued to search through piles of rubble. He stopped when he found Sara's book under a large piece of plaster that had fallen from the ceiling. As he picked it up he noticed there was something attached to it, a small piece of paper with something scribbled on it in red.

The room became deathly silent when everyone noticed Ed wasn't moving.

"Brother, did you find something?" Al asked, slightly hesitant.

Ed rose to his feet slowly, still looking at the note in his hands. His behavior was starting to worry Al and Roy.

"What is it, Fullmetal?"

"...Whoever kidnapped Sara left a note..saying that if I want her back I have to come looking for them...and it's written in blood.." He'd tried working around it in his head, but no other answer came to him. It was blood, not ink, and the color and odor it gave off were all too recognizable.

"Whoever wrote this is going to hear from me." Ed spat, crumbling the note in his fist and throwing it at the wall. Without hesitation Edward threw on his coat, shoved the book in an inner pocket, and jumped through the hole in the wall down to the streets.

"Brother, WAIT!" But Al was too late, Ed had already disappeared into the depths of the city. Roy picked the note up off the floor an opened it to read the contents, to set what had set him off. Written in Sara's blood was the following:

**_Fullmetal,_**

**_I don't believe I've met you yet. If you want Silverwolf back, you'll have to come find our little hideout. If you can manage to do so before 6, we might just keep her alive... 'Till then,  
See'ya pipsqueak_**

-----------

It wasn't the pipsqueak comment that had riled him up, it was the blood and time limit that did it. Sara was hurt, and by the looks of it, badly. And if he didn't there by six they'd kill her. Even if they didn't, the loss of mass amounts of blood would. Ed had found a trail, luckily; some blood had been smeared here and there. Which meant one of two things, either Sara was helping him or the kidnapper wanted him to make it. When he started recognizing certain buildings it was obvious as to his destination: Lab 5. Ed picked up his pace and ran straight for the lab.

-----------

"Here ya go, one state alchemist." said a female voice. It belonged to Envy, the shape shifting homunculus that had kidnapped Sara. But this was a new Envy, and if her hair wasn't black and her eyes purple slits, she could be mistaken for Sara's twin. Black skorts and a tight, black top made up her outfit. Envy threw Sara down to the floor, causing her to grunt in pain.

"Good. Which means he shouldn't be too far behind," spoke a male voice. His outfit was similar to Envy's, though he chose to wear boots and fingerless gloves. His face was hidden by shadows, but the red tattoos running down his right leg and up the left side of his torso were clearly visible. Sara lay on the ground before him, unconscious. There was a nice sized gash on her left side, as well as a couple scratches here and there.

"So what now, Pride?" Envy asked.

"We wait." was his answer.

"If that's the case, can I go play with her for a bit?" Envy asked with an evil grin.

"No. I'll her in the back room with me. You wait here for our guest to arrive."

"Why is it you get to have all the fun?"

"You get to meet our guest first. I'd say you're the one who'll get to have all the fun." Pride bent down and placed Sara over his shoulder, "Put on a good show this time, 'kay love?"

"I told you never to call me that." Envy growled. Pride just smiled and took Sara to the back room. Envy transformed her appearance to that of Sara as she was now and pretended to be seriously injured. "Help!"

-----------

As Ed ran through countless halls, checking room after room, he could hear someone calling for help. He could only hope it was Sara.

"I'm coming!!" he yelled in reply. As the cries came more frequently he picked up his pace and searched for the room frantically. Ed suddenly skidded to a halt, doubling back to a door he'd just passed that was slightly ajar. Slowly, Ed reached out and pushed the door open, not sure what he was going to see.

"Sara!"

She stood in the middle of the room, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and relief. "Edward."

Ed ran over to her, "Are you ok?"

"For the most part.." she answered drowsily.

"You're sure?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder to brace her. As soon as his hand touched her shoulder he pulled it back again; something wasn't right. He didn't get much time to react, and barely missed being run through as she brought her arm up, turning it into a blade, and thrusting it at his abdomen. Luckily he dodged to his right and managed to only get a scratch on his side. Being sure to keep his distance, he watched her carefully.

"Aaaww, what's wrong Fullmetal?" she taunted, smirking, "You don't wanna play with little ol' me?"

_Her eyes..._ Ed realized her eyes were not the same honey color that had caught his attention when they'd first met. They didn't even hold the same warm, stubborn feeling they usually did. They were cold, haunting, and purple. "You're not her..Where is she?" he asked sternly.

"Heh! You're better than I thought. No, I'm not her.." Envy returned to her original form, not that it was much of a change, "The name's Envy-"

"I said where is she?!" Ed yelled angrily.

"Why do you care?" Envy asked.

"She's my friend, that's why!"

Envy smirked, "Just your friend? Tell me..how long will this friendship last, exactly?"

Ed was confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Envy" a stern voice called, "You can play with his mind another day."

"Oh, come on, Pride. At least let me have a little fun." Envy called back.

"Another day."

Ed turned to the new voice. He could only see his body up to the mouth, the rest of his face hidden in shadow.

"Edward Elric..so nice to finally meet you."

"Where is she?" Ed asked again.

"She's safe..for the most part. We have a proposition for you."

"You want me to create a philosopher's stone."

"Why, yes, we do."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I've already been down that road before. I won't do it."

"Well, I'm afraid that's too bad.."

Ed caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Because we're not giving you a choice."

-----------

At the same time, Roy was gathering troops and sending them into the city to search for the two missing alchemists.

"Excuse me, sir" Al said, "but why were you upset about our leaving Sara in the hotel alone?"

"I'll explain that if and when they're found." Roy didn't even glance in Al's general direction; he was really upset, the scowl the said it all. Al didn't push it further and ran off to help find Ed and Sara. Roy waited a bit before running off to search as well. They both hoped to find them alive.

-----------

Meanwhile, Ed was trying not to be mauled by the chimera he was fighting. They weren't unlike the ones in Hyda, but they were all canids by appearance. One tried jumping him and ended up with a gash in its chest. It died like the others had as well. He finally got a chance to catch his breath and assess the situation. He was surrounded growling chimera in four different directions, each about 6 ft away, Sara was no where to be seen, and her homunculus double leaned against a wall watching the fight, and evil grin on her face.

_Why does she look like Sara?.._ he wondered. A couple ideas crossed his mind, but he shoved the thought to the side for now. He had chimera to kill and a friend to save. Blade arm ready, he charged the chimera in front of him, slashing the neck as it lunged at him and spinning around to catch another in the chest as it pounced. Another jumped on top of him, knocking him to the floor, and he kicked it off with his left foot, breaking its ribs and shoving the breastbone into the heart, crushing it against the spine. The fourth jumped him from his right as he tried to stand and ended up running itself through when it landed on his blade. Ed threw it off and stood, keeping his eyes out for anything else. Envy had disappeared, he realized.

_Oh no.._ Hoping his assumption wasn't correct, he ran to the side room where Pride had been standing in the doorway, hidden in shadows. The room was dark and it was hard to see with the sudden change in lighting. He could almost make out a figure on the floor close to the opposite wall. He squinted, leaning forward slightly in an attempt to see better. There was a puddle of dark liquid, maybe blood since the room smelled heavily of it, dark hair..

"Sara?" It had to be her this time, it had to be.

"That's her." Pride said from behind, as though answering his thoughts.

Ed stiffened; he hadn't heard or even noticed that Pride was behind him. Then again he'd let his guard down, and that had been a big mistake.

"For now, we'll let you go," Pride rested his hand on Ed's right shoulder, "The next time we meet, we'll have another little chat, and you will make the stone for us.." Pride's hand squeezed tightly and Ed's arm was instantly shattered. "Now, go join her on the edge of hell." Pride sneered before roughly shoving Ed to the floor. Ed's head hit the concrete hard; his vision was instantly blurry and he only got a glimpse of Sara before he passed out.

-----------

"Edward.."

Ed stirred slightly. His head was pounding and he just wanted to sleep.

"Brother?" That was Al's voice, Ed was sure of it. He opened his eyes only to close them again, his eyes sensitive to the blinding light above him. "You're awake!"

_Who was the first voice?_ Ed wondered. He opened his eyes again and looked around the room. Al sat on his right, a smile on his face, happy to see that his brother was conscious again. Ed sat up, a little stiff from being unconscious for a long period of time.

"How long was I out?"

"Two days."

"Is she ok?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Ed was confused by the statement and searched the rest of the room. There to his left, in another bed, Sara sat upright watching him. She smiled slightly and layed back down.

-----------

"Winry's not going to be very happy with me." Ed sighed, inspecting the damage. Somehow, Roy and Al had picked up the same idea that they would be in Lab 5. When they'd arrived, both Ed and Sara had been unconscious and the homunculi were long gone. With some help from the other military officers who'd been out searching for them, they were able to pick up the pieces of Ed's arm and safely transport both of them back to the Central Hospital. Now the pieces of his arm lay on a piece of cloth at the other end of his bed. Indeed, Winry would not be happy with him at all if she found out what had happened. Sara looked at the pieces from her own bed, piecing them all together in her head, seeing if every piece was there.

"I could fix it." Sara suggested.

Ed turned to her, "Really?"

Al had been asked to leave so they could rest, but with his arm in pieces Ed couldn't sleep.

"Yeah. Both of my arms are intact, I could use alchemy to fix your arm. Granted, it won't be as good as getting new automail, but at least you'd be able to use it."

"Uh..ok, sure, go ahead." _(Obviously, both are wearing pajama pants and T-shirts provided by the hospital here)_

Sara pushed off her covers and slipped out of bed, hissing silently as the stitches in her side pulled slightly, and moved over to his.

"Well, first thing's first," Sara clapped her hands and used alchemy to reassemble the scraps. When she finished it looked as good as new except for the fact that it wasn't attached to Ed's shoulder. "Ok..umm..I'll need you to hold this up to your shoulder for me."

Ed quietly did as he was told, not wanting to distract her too much. Sara clapped again and placed her hands on the arm and Ed's shoulder. With a quick flash of light, his arm was finally fixed and fully functional again.

"Thanks." he said, testing it out a bit.

"You're welcome." Sara was about to move back to her bed when Ed spoke again.

"Sooo..how's your side?"

"It's a little sore, but I'll live. How's your head?"

Ed had almost forgotten that his head hurt, and being reminded of it only made it worse. "Pounding, now that you mention it.." he groaned, holding his head as he lay back down.

"Well, that's what happens when you head hits a concrete floor, Edward." Sara giggled.

"Heh, you're obviously feeling better.." Ed said, smiling while his arm covered his eyes. Sara remained silent for awhile and the next time Ed looked at her she was laying on her side with her back to him, most likely asleep. Ed decided sleeping, or at least trying to sleep, was probably a good idea right now, and was soon fast asleep. Sara, however, lay awake, thinking about what was to came the next day.

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Well there ya go! Episode 11! FINALLY!! And hey, you got some action this chapter. Hope you enjoyed!

**Sara:** _(Peeks over my shoulder)_ So how'd it go?

**Me:** _(looks at her, surprised)_ ...Good, why aren't you over there with Ed?

**Sara:** Hm? Oh! He fell asleep while I was massaging him _(kitty grin)_

**Me:** Aaawww, that's so cute!

**Sara:** Hey, where did Al go?

**Me:** To find Episode 12. I can't find it anywhere..

**Sara:** How do you lose something like that?

**Me:** I don't know, but we'll see you all next chapter!


	12. Episode 12: Explain part 1

Hey everybody! Sorry it took so long, I hope Al found- 

**Al:**_ (runs through door)_ Found it!

**Me:** Yes! Good job, Alphonse!

**Sara:** Now we can continue the story!

**Ed:** _(still asleep on the bed)_

**Me and Al:** _(Looks at Ed)_

**Al:** Wow, you must've given him a really good massage!

**Me:** _(Laughs)_ Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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_**Episode 12: Explain**_

_a few days later..._

_**Roy's office**_

"Sir. They're here." Riza called through the door.

"Send them in" was Roy's hard reply. It was painfully obvious that Roy was angry, maybe more so, and everyone was making sure to avoid the office unless commanded otherwise. Though everyone knew he was upset, it was still a mystery to those who didn't know about his relationships with certain people in and out of the military as to why. So everyone, except Riza, avoided his office as much as possible. Ed, Al, and Sara didn't have a choice and entered the office nervously. None of them had ever seen Roy this upset and it seemed to be a somewhat personal issue.

"Sit." he commanded.

In fear of being pummeled or blown to bits they did as they were told and quickly sat in the nearest chairs. Roy stood and walked slowly away from his desk to stare out the windows behind him. They all waited for him to say something. Sara knew he was trying to calm himself down before speaking, but what he would say was anyones guess.

"So...is anyone going to explain to me what happened back there?" Roy asked bluntly.

Hesitantly, the trio looked at each other before Sara spoke up. "Well, sir, Fullmetal and I had..a bit of a spat. Alphonse had walked in during the argument and..asked if either of us wanted to go for a walk.." she started slowly. She kept as formal as possible and kept her stubborn eyes on Roy's back. "Sir, it's my fault, I'm the one who decided to stay behind. I should've gone with them despite my anger, but instead I stayed behind in the hotel when I knew very well--"

"That's enough, Silverwolf."

Sara closed her mouth. She obviously wasn't getting another word in in this conversation.

"I have specific orders for all three of you. Effective immediately. Fullmetal."

"Yes sir!" Ed rushed, shooting up out of his seat. Ed wasn't taking chances with Roy today.

"From now on, neither you nor your brother are to leave Silverwolf unattended. She must either go where you go or on of you stays with her. Is that understood?!"

"Yes sir!"

Sara was about to object to the idea, but Ed glancing at her and signaling _'No'_ with his hand changed her mind. Ed had never seen Roy lose it and hoped he'd never have to, for it probably wouldn't be a pleasant discussion.

"Silverwolf!"

"Yes sir!" Sara shot up out of her seat and stood next to Edward, who remained standing. Roy turned to look at them, and hard angered eyes met frightened ones.

"I'm sure there's still a lot you haven't told these boys..You are to tell them everything you haven't already."

"But-"

"Understood?!"

"Yes sir!"

Roy glared at them for a few minutes before speaking again. "Alphonse!"

"Yes sir?!" Al stood.

"Go wait in the hall."

"Yes sir!" Al said before running out the door. Once the door was shut, Roy moved away from his desk to stand right in front of the two trembling alchemists in his office. The next time he spoke he was on the verge of yelling at them.

"Let me just set a few things straight for you two!" Ed and Sara flinched, "I don't care how aggravated you two get, your anger or dislike for each other or mention of you stature is no excuse for going off on your own!! You, Sara, should already know this!"

"Excuse me, Mustang, but why exactly are you yelling at us for wanting to get away from each other for some personal space?!" Ed snapped. He wasn't sure what had set him off. It could've been the attitude, the fact that he was practically patronizing them, or that he'd yelled at Sara just then. What ever the reason was, he soon regretted saying anything.

Roy glared at Edward before and while he answered. "Because, Edward, there are people out there who would do anything to catch her and or kill her, and use her for their sick experiments or to gain power. And if she's ever caught, I will expect you to go after her. If she dies, I'll hold you responsible for her death. I've known Sara since she was two so, if anything, she's like a sister to me, maybe even a daughter. So if anything happens to her, I'll make sure to torch you on the spot!" Roy threatened, holding his hand in Ed's face, ready to snap, to make a point. Ed was a little nervous about answering after that. Roy sat back behind his desk again and returned to his paperwork. "You're both dismissed."

-----------

Needless to say, no one really wanted to talk after that. It was almost 6 hours before anyone made to say anything, and the only one willing to break the silence at that moment was Al. He managed to hold a small conversation with Ed, who was suddenly irritable, but when he tried to talk to Sara she wouldn't answer him. She'd just lay their on her bed, her back to him, still and silent as a stone in the river. The only time she spoke that night she voiced the fact that she was hungry. Al stood from his place on the couch and threw on his coat as he walked to the door. Ed, who lay on the other bed with his back to Sara's, sat up and asked, "Where're you going?"

"To get some food for supper. I'm hungry, too, and your stomach's been growling for the past 4 hours." Al answered, "I'll be back soon." And with that the door closed behind him, leaving Ed and Sara in the room alone. Ed plopped back down on the bed with a sigh and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. In the corner of his eye he could still see Sara's back; he wondered if she'd fallen asleep. She was deathly silent and it was starting to bother him. Sara twisted enough to see Ed over her shoulder. He was staring at the ceiling again. The dead silence was unnerving. She'd been trying to think of something to say, but really she wanted Ed to say something first. But Ed was waiting for her to say something, which left them at a standstill. Eventually Sara broke down and spoke first.

"It's..going to rain tonight.." she pointed out.

"Yeah, probably within the next hour.." Ed answered after a brief pause.

During those long 6 hours of silence, they'd both listened as a storm brewed overhead. As if on cue, thunder rumbled loudly outside and the first drops of rain could be seen trickling down the window panes. Their belongings had since been fetched from the wreckage, repaired, and moved to their new hotel room that they were now staying in. After an awkward silence, Sara rolled over to face him. She figured she might as well go ahead and start following orders, no matter how much she detested them.

"Go ahead..ask away." she sighed.

"You sure?" Ed asked, sitting up.

"My orders are clear..so, what do you want to know first?"

Ed thought about it, wanting to use the right words and to ask something that wouldn't make her uncomfortable. There were plenty of things he wanted to know, he just wasn't sure how to ask or what to ask first.

"..uuh, well I guess you could tell me why you hate Roy, first."

Sara thought about it a bit, mulling over old memories that she'd thought had been buried in the graveyard of her mind a long time ago. After taking a deep breath she sighed, "I don't hate him..." When Ed gave her a confused look, she continued. "I couldn't hate him if I tried. I'm sure he's told you he's an old friend of the family..I respect him, I do, he annoys me a lot but I still respect him. We used to visit him every time my parents returned from their missions. Things had been fine then..that is..until.." She paused a moment, looking down so her hair slid in front of her, blocking her eyes. Ed had a feeling she wasn't going to tell him what she avoided so much. She took a deep breath to steady herself and continued on, "After that we stopped going to Central altogether. A few years later, I find myself here, running into a burning building to save innocent people whom I didn't know..After saving what I'd thought was everyone, I looked back at the building...I saw a shadow...I thought I'd missed one so I-I headed back in to help.." Ed had a feeling he knew where this was going, "When I went back in, and saw them..just standing there in the flames, with my face...I tried to run to them, but Mustang pulled me out of the building before I could move.."

_Flashback_

_Sara fought against Roy's grip as he dragged her out of the burning building._

_"Don't do it!" Roy yelled over the roar of the flames, pulling her struggling body back._

_"Put me down!! Someone's still in there!" She watched as the building came crashing down in a massive blaze._

_"That was a close one.-"_

_"I hate you.."_

_"What?"_

_"I hate you!!"_

_End Flashback_

"I may have said some things, and he's probably never forgotten them." She paused for a bit before asking, "Anything else?"

Ed thought about it a bit and also mulled over everything he'd learned just from that one question, leaving her to listen to the rain pelting the windows. There were a couple that bugged him, actually. With a serious look, he asked, "Where's your family?"

Sara gasped. Even though she'd expected it, it still bothered her. Outside of Mustang's office and Kayla's home she'd never told anyone that. She tried to avoid looking Ed in the eyes, but no matter how much she avoided them she could still feel his piercing gaze boring through her, willing her to speak. "M-my...family?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

"..I-I don't..I don't kn-" Lightning struck outside, closely followed by loud booming thunder directly overhead. Sara yelped in fear as the power went out. Ed felt around his bed until he made it to the nightstand on the other side. He groped for matches and a candle, lighting it once he found them.

"Don't worry, the power just went out, that's..all..." Ed turned and found that Sara wasn't on her bed, but on his. "Uuuh..Sara? What are you doing?"

"Can I-I sleep with you tonight?" she stammered.

Ed stared at her, mouth slightly agape, a slight blush creeping onto his face. Sara realized that hadn't come out right.

"No, WAIT! NOT like THAT!!" she exclaimed quickly, shaking her arms in the air frantically. "I meant could we sleep together-wait no, I mean..ooh, I don't know what I mean." she sighed in defeat.

Ed wasn't sure how to respond, so he simply asked, "..uuh..why?"

Sara looked at the floor, a little embarrassed. "I-I'm afredaightning.." she mumbled.

"What?"

"I'm..afraid of..lightning.."

"..well that's-"

"And thunder.."

"...ookaaayy.." Ed sat there staring at her. Being afraid of lightning he could sort of understand, but thunder? But when he noticed her shaking, and how she flinched when thunder boomed outside..and the storm was only going to get worse at this rate, especially since they were only in the edge of the storm. When she looked up at him her eyes held an honest spark of fear within them. He wasn't sure what to do. He could let her share his bed, but he'd feel uncomfortable. Not to mention, what if Al walked in to see them in the same bed? But he couldn't just tell her no and leave her to tremble alone in her own bed, could he? If they'd been younger, it's possible he would've said no, but now that he was older his view of things were different. Thunder crashed loudly above them, filling the silence. Within seconds, Ed found her clinging to his chest. He was surprised and embarrassed by the fear induced embrace, but he restrained himself from pushing her off. _She really is scared.._ he thought. At the moment she seemed so fragile. Fighting with himself mentally, Ed gently - and hesitantly - wrapped his arms around her, attempting to comfort her, despite his own nerves. She seemed a little surprised by the contact, but didn't pull away. He figured it must have helped because her trembling died down quite a bit. They stayed like that for awhile, listening as the storm grew steadily worse. Ed was beginning to wonder when Al would come back. He'd only gone out for food, after all. At this rate, though, he probably wouldn't be back till tomorrow.

"..my family.." she said suddenly. Ed looked down at her. "...you see..I've never been comfortable telling anyone, so I've always avoided the subject.."

Ed could understand that. There'd been things he hadn't revealed to her either. He'd been too uncomfortable to tell her and many others before her of his past. "You don't-"

"No, I do. If I don't..." She sat up and removed her arms from his waist, "If I don't you'll just keep bugging me about it later." She wasn't looking at him as she spoke. "I'm sure, by now, Kayla's told you that my..parents are dead..and I'm pretty sure Roy told you how..they died...I had a sister, too, but she.." Sara paused, recalling the horrible memory. "There's only a few people in my family, that I'm close to, that I know are still alive..my grandma, my uncle, and my older brother, Victor. My uncle lives in Hyda, and I've long since forgotten where my grandmother lives. Vic..I'm not sure where he is right now."

"..What were they like?" Ed asked after a short pause.

"My dad worked with automail and help my uncle on occasion. My uncle is sort of the local smith..My mom was amazing. She could make a beautiful piece of artwork out of almost anything..You can kind of see where my talent comes from..You'd have to meet my grandma to understand her..though you might like her..and my brother and sister...Vic taught me how to fight and use alchemy. Trish, my sister, taught me everything else. Especially how to cook...We'd always been happy..until..When the military brought back their ashes, 2 days after I received a letter about the Rebellion..my mind went blank and I suddenly started studying more and more. When that night came, I'd had every intention of doing it by myself, but then Trish.." Sara paused again; her face held a pained expression.

"...What happened that night?" Ed asked carefully.

Sara didn't answer him; she was crying. Thunder boomed once again above them and she buried her face in his shoulder. Ed could tell he wouldn't get much more out of her that night and gave up on the questions for now. He gently wrapped his arms around her, just letting her cry and hide. He hated to see girls cry, especially ones he knew personally. It always made his heart ache. As the night moved on thunder continued to roar outside, slowly dying down as the eye of the storm drew closer. Edward had been leaning against the wall as he sat on his bed and listened to her sobs die with the storm. The power was still out and the room was lit only by the small candle on the nightstand. He realized that it was getting late.

"Hey Sara.." Ed didn't continue. She was already asleep. "Well, I guess you can stay here tonight." he sighed. He was too tired to care that she was sleeping on him, anyway; he'd been trying to keep his eyes open for the past two hours. Making sure not to make any sudden movements he managed to relocate them both under the covers and blew out the candle, plunging the room into an instant and comfortable darkness. As he drifted quickly into sleep, he held her close for warmth and listened to her even breathing.

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Well there ya go, episode 12! Unfortunately...it's not finished. This chapter ended up being so long that I had to split it up a little. Part 2 will be shorter than usual, but at least it'll be finished when I put it up.

**Sara:** Cat ears..

**Al:** _(hands her fake cat ears)_

**Sara:** Crazy glue..

**Al:** _(hands her a bottle of glue)_

**Sara:** _(smirks)_ Cat tail..

**Al:** _(snickers and hands her a tail)_

**Me:** Uuuuh..guys, what are you doing?

**Sara:**_ (snickers)_ You'll see...

**Me:** oooookaaayy, we'll see you next chapter..

**Sara:** Dental glue and fake canines..

**Me:** O.O;


	13. Explain part 2

Hi guys! Are we ready for part 2? 

**Al:** Yep _(kitty grin)_

**Sara:** And so is Edward.. _(whispers)_ Get the camera..

**Ed:** _(spralled out on the bed, asleep, with cat ears and tail glued to his body in the respective places. Yawns in sleep, revealing sharp canines)_

**Me:** Aaaaaww, he looks so cute!

**Al:** Here's the camera..

**Sara:** _(takes picture of Ed asleep)_ Priceless!!

**Me:** _(laughs)_ Enjoy part 2!

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**_Episode 12-Part 2: Shock and Surprise_**

The next morning, Al went up to the receptionist to retrieve their room key. He felt so bad about leaving them alone and hungry that night. It was still raining, but not enough to cause him any delay now. When he'd left to buy food he'd been a block away from the market when the storm hit. He'd been lucky enough that Riza had driven by and offered to let him stay with her while he rode out the storm. And so, he'd stayed the night there and left that morning to buy food. Their room, luckily, had a small kitchen which ment cooking wasn't a problem.

"I'm back.." Al sighed, walking into their room. "Sorry I was gone..soooo..." Al wasn't sure if he was dreaming or if he was actually seeing the potential picture in front of him. Laying there, under the covers, in the same bed, was Ed and Sara. They both lay on their sides facing each other, Ed holding Sara close in his sleep. Al didn't make a sound. He smiled to himself knowingly, but kept quiet as he snuck through the other room and into the kitchen. He knew they'd wake up on their own eventually, especially when they smelled the food cooking. For now, he'd let them sleep and then get some entertainment out of their distress when they woke up.

It didn't take long for Ed and Sara to react to the smell of the food. Ed was the first to open his eyes, hence the first to notice that he was holding Sara close to him. He froze in place, just staring at her still sleeping form. Her face seemed so peaceful; no sign of sadness on her face, no stubborn, angry, honey-colored eyes glaring at him..he sort of wished she always looked like this. He realized he had one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist, but he somewhat reluctant to move them. He didn't want to wake her; she'd had a rough night and she needed the sleep. She was actually quite attractive, he noticed. Her chocolate brown hair seemed to fall in just the right way and her copper bangs framed her face perfectly. Judging by what he could through his shirt sleeves, she had some muscle on her but not enough to alter the delicate curves of her body. He blushed slightly at the fact that he was even paying attention to these things, but he couldn't help it; they were so close to each other..

Sara's eyes opened slightly and she sat still, trying to remember where she was. She was in bed, that much was obvious, but what confused her was that there was something hard and cold wrapped around her waist. Plus, she was very close to something warm, which didn't seem to bother her as much as it should. She could hair a light rain hitting the window so she there'd been a storm last night. Usually, in most cases, she would have to sleep in because she hadn't slept well during the storm, but that wasn't the case today. _Why is that?_ she wondered. She opened her eyes, blinking to clear her vision, and immediately came face to face with someone all too familiar, staring at her. She froze and suddenly she had a really good idea what was wrapped around her waist.

The next thing to meet Al's ears was a quick scream, Ed yelping in pain, a loud thud, and some angry yelling as the two of them tried to say it was the others fault they'd ended up in that "situation." Then it moved on to name calling and the such, and then Sara was stomping into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

-----------

The next week went by quietly, Ed and Sara never talking to each other directly, or at all for that matter. To Al it seemed neither of them wanted to break first.As far as anything else was concerned, life was quiet in Central except for the talk of the Spring Ball the military was hosting in 2 weeks. Al only got wind of it because he was the only one of them to leave the hotel room for anything other than a short walk. He visited the military periodically to speak with Mustang and his subordinates. He would ask if there was any current activity that needed an alchemist's assistance, but usually the answer was always no. Halfway through Ed and Sara's third week of silence, Al returned from HQ with an announcement.

"I'm leaving for Xenotime tonight."

That seemed to break their silent streak completely as now their concern had shifted to him.

"What?" Ed stood up, surprised.

"Why?" Sara gasped, still sitting on her bed.

"I've spoken to Mustang recently and he said that Xenotime's had some difficulties lately. It's mostly minor things, but I don't mind helping in any way I can."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, brother. You have to stay with Sara. You remember what the general said, don't you?"

"I don't care what he says, I'm going!"

"I'm going alone, brother. Besides, I'll be back next week. I promise."

Ed still didn't like the idea, but he buckled under the stubborn look in Al's eyes. "Alright.." he sighed, "But no longer than a week."

Al smiled, "Thanks brother."

That night, after Al departed for the train, it hit Ed like a brick to the head: the Spring Ball was in a week. He'd slapped himself in the head and muttered something inaudible.

The rest of the night seemed awkward. The past few weeks they'd been so quiet they'd almost forgotten the other existed. Now they were painfully aware of each other and it bugged the hell out of them both. Ed decided to break the silence between them the next morning when he suddenly stood and started putting his boots on.

"Come on." he told her.

"Where are _**you**_ going?" she demanded.

"**_We_** are going to buy you some clothes."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" she asked skeptically. She was still wearing Ed's old outfit that he'd fitted for her.

"There's nothing wrong with it, buit it might be nice to have a change of clothing, don't you think?"

Sara glared at him. He just smiled at her and waited. Unfortunately for Sara, Ed's smile was contagious, or at least it seemed like it at the moment. She smiled too and stood, slipping her boots on when she reached the door.

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Sorry it's so short, but hey! At least the chapter is finished now!

**Sara:** And Ed is dressed up like a cat! hee hee

**Ed:** _(wakes up, yawns, and rubs sleep out of his eyes)_ What did I miss?

**Sara:** _(takes another pic of Ed)_ That one's going yo be the wallpaper on my laptop..

**Ed:** What the hell? _(sits up and starts rubbing both eyes)_

**Sara:** _(takes another pic)_ Hahaha You should be a model Ed!

**Ed:** _(turns around to ask Al a question but notices his tail)_ WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GUYS DO TO ME?!

**Me:** ROFL Well, I'll get to work opn chapter 13. See ya then! hahahaha


	14. Episode 13: The Dance

YAAAAYYHAAAAAAYY!! HEE HEE!! 

**Al:** Uuuuuh...

**Sara:** She's on a sugar high, don't worry. She'll crash eventually.

**Ed:** In the mean time, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!

**Sara:** Oh be quiet, we just glued a few things here and there. It'll come off tugs on one cat ear Eventually..

**Ed:** grrrrr

**Me:** OK!! This is it!! The Spring Ball! Will Ed ask Sara to the dance? Or will it be another silent week? Let's watch and find ou-oooowwww, headache...

**Sara:** Told ya.

**Me:** Enjoy episode 13...oooooww

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**_Episode 13: The Dance_**

For some reason it seemed like their shopping trip, which should have taken an hour or more, had only lasted five minutes. As soon as they'd hit Main Street, and entered one particular clothing store, Ed told their seamstress exactly what they needed, she took measurements, and then told them to come back in a week. Ed had even paid them before they left and continued down the street. _Something fishy is going on..._ she thought. She made sure to stay about 3 to 5 feet behind him so she could watch him carefully and figure out what he was up to.

Meanwhile, Ed could feel her eyes glaring suspiciously into the back of his head. He wanted to turn around and yell "what?" but he kept his mouth shut and focused on finding one particular shop. What he was about to do would probably embarrass the hell out of him, even if Sara wasn't there. But in any case, he'd already made up his mind and he'd just have to "grin and bear it." Not necessarily grinning in any sense of the word, but you get the point. He'd been sure to listen carefully when the seamstress read off Sara's measurements to her assistant, who wrote them down on a small note pad. So, not only had he ordered her clothes that would fit her properly, he had also learned her measurements for their next stop, ultimately killing to birds with one stone. Her glaring a hole into the back of his brain was starting to make him nervous, though, so about a block before they reached the shop he stopped in front of a random store. Luckily the one he'd halted in front of was a small book store. Ed rummaged through his coats pockets for his wallet and took out a few bills and some change.

"Ed, again I ask, what are you doing?" Sara finally asked, hands on her hips.

"Here," Ed said, placing the money in her hands, "Go in and wait for me. I shouldn't be too long. If you find something interesting to read, go ahead and buy it. I'll be back.."

Sara's glare was replaced with confusion as he pushed her gently through the open door and then disappeared down the street.

When Ed reached the shop a block down, he was a little hesitant to walk through the front door. When he did, he was greeted promptly by the seamstress, whom he'd called earlier that morning while Sara was still asleep.

"Mr. Elric, it's so nice to finally meet you in person. I'm Taylor, the seamstress here." she greeted, shaking his hand formally. "So.." she started, letting his hand drop, "What's this emergency rush job you need so bad?" Taylor was a sweet brunette with a tall, slim figure. Her hair was cut medium length, ending just above the shoulder blades, and her bangs were parted on one side, covering one brown eye while leaving the other visible. She wore a simple blue dress with a measuring tape hanging around her neck.

"I need a dress for a friend of mine, before next week preferably." he answered.

Taylor raised one eyebrow. "Oooh...a lady friend I assume?"

Ed blushed and growled, "Will you do it or not?"

Taylor laughed. "Of course. Do you have her measurements, then?"

Ed gave her the appropriate measurements and pointed out fabric type and color, and told her to pick whatever design she thought worked best.

"What, don't want to put in your opinion as to what kind of dress she should wear?" Taylor teased. Ed just growled at her. She shrugged, still smirking, and told him to come back in a day or two. Ed would pay her then. After that he returned to the book store where he found Sara reading her new book on a bench outside. When she noticed he was back, she marked her place, snapped the book shut, and stood.They didn't do much else after that and headed back to the hotel.

-----------

Two days later, Ed woke early and snuck out to pick up the dress as well as a few materials. When he returned he hid the box and materials under his bed and crept off into the kitchen to make breakfast. That night, Ed waited till she was fast asleep and used alchemy on the materials he'd bought that morning.

Another two days later, Sara woke to find Edward carrying a tray of food to her bed.

"What's going on?" she asked sleepily, sitting up as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "I'm not sick.."

"I know. I just thought you'd like to eat breakfast in bed today." Ed smiled. She was a bit suspicious of that smile, but she ignored it and ate her breakfast quietly.

As the day went on Sara noticed Ed wasn't acting like himself. He was being, in her opinion, ridiculously nice to her. He didn't yell when she called him short, he treated her to lunch, he pulled her chair out for her, he bought her flowers.. Something just didn't seem right. Later that day she was laying on her bed reading her new book when he came strolling into the bedroom. She glanced up from her book to watch him over the top. He strode over to his bed and knelt down, disappearing on the other side. He came up a short moment later to sit on the edge of his bed. _What is he up to?_ she wondered. Ed turned to find her watching him. She quickly ducked back behind her open book and he smiled at her.

"So did we get any mail today?" she asked.

"Yeah. Al sent us a letter, saying he's going to be gone a little longer than planned." he informed her.

"Why?" Sara asked, peeking over the edge of her book again.

"He didn't say.." Ed bent over the edge of the bed again and Sara ducked back into her book. He was starting to scare her a little. She'd only known him a for about a month or so, but she could tell that his treating her the way he had over the past few days wasn't typical behavior for him. The next thing she knew, there was a light pressure on her legs. She lifted her book out of her line of sight to see what it was. There was a white box in her lap. By the looks of it, it seemed he'd gone to pick up the clothes that he'd ordered for her. She looked at Ed, who just smiled at her, and then back at the box. She marked her place and set the book on the nightstand.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it and see." he laughed slightly. Sara hesitantly slipped the lid off of the box and set it on the floor. She sat up for a better look and moved the folds of paper out of the way. She gasped when she saw what the box contained; of all the things it could have been, she had not expected this...not from him. Inside was a red velvet dress.

"This.."

"I stopped by a different seamstress and gave her your measurements..." Ed hesitated, "I'd hoped you'd wear it to the Spring Ball at HQ."

Sara looked up at him, stunned. He seemed nervous now, and he wasn't looking at her. Her stomach was full of butterflies now, having an idea as to what he was asking her. "A-..are you asking if I'd go with you?"

Ed's face instantly turned a random shade of red. "If you don't want to you don't have to, but yeah..." he rushed. Sara wasn't sure how to respond. She'd never been invited to such an event, nor was she ever asked on a date before. The ones that Kayla had forced her into didn't count as real dates in her opinion. She debated her answer in her mind for what seemed like a long time - which was really only five minutes - before nervously answering.

"Y-Yes..." she muttered.

"Huh?" Ed looked up at her.

"Yes. I'll go with you." she repeated, her stomach fluttering violently.

"You will?!" Ed was surprised. He'd honestly thought she'd say no. He suddenly couldn't help but smile at her, and move over to her bed. He enveloped her in an excited hug and then ran off to make supper, leaving Sara stunned, blushing, and silent on her bed.

-----------

She realized later how close the Spring Ball actually was and almost had a panic attack. When the day of the ball arrived, she was reluctant to get out of bed. Ed kneeled by her bed where she could see him.

"You ok?" he asked, concerned.

Sara groaned, "Butterflies.."

It took Ed a second to understand what she meant. Then he smiled. "Same here." he said, rubbing her arm to make her feel better. It was an affectionate gesture that neither of them had expected, nor did they object to it. "Come on.." Ed stood and helped her out of bed.

"Where are we going?" Sara asked.

"I'm taking you downstairs. Riza is waiting for you out by the car." he told her.

She was pretty sure the butterflies in her stomach had doubled on the way downstairs. A good lot of them died, though, when they exited the hotel and were greeted by a smiling Riza Hawkeye. This was a side of Riza that she'd only seen once before and it still caught her off guard. She was dressed casually with her hair down. Ed handed her the box with Sara's dress in it, as well as another smaller one Sara hadn't seen till now, and then turned to her. Riza turned and opened the rear car door she'd been leaning on to place the boxes in the back seat.

"I'll see you later, ok?" he said gently, a warm smile planted on his face. Yet again, another rarity of his. Her heart skipped a beat. _Dammit!_ she screamed internally, _Why do you make me so nervous..._

"Ok.." she squeaked, blushing. Ed laughed. He was probably as nervous as she was, he was just handling it better.

"Let's go." Riza ordered from the driver's seat. Ed guided her to the passenger's side and opened the door for her. Once she was settled in her seat, he shut the door and waved as Riza drove off.

-----------

"I'm scared."

"Don't be." Riza ordered while helping Sara with the zipper on the back of her dress. Sara was starting to have her doubts about going to the ball with Ed.

"I can't do this.." Sara said, making to leave. Riza held her firmly in place, holding tight to the back of her dress.

"Yes you can. It'd be best if you stopped worrying about it. You're going to make yourself sick."

"I was born that way, I can't help it." Sara hadn't meant the statement to be funny but Riza laughed at it all the same.

"You'll just have to find a way to ignore it then." she said once she stopped laughing. "Sit." Sara sat on the stool that Riza provided for her and waited anxiously for her to finish with her hair. Once she was finished, she handed Sara the other white box that Ed had given her. "Here. Open it and put them on." Riza left her there to go put her own dress on. Sara looked at the box in her lap and sighed. She wondered what else Ed could possibly give her this week as she opened it. Inside there were two bangle bracelets, a necklace, and a pair of earrings. She wanted to cry. It wasn't the jewelry itself but what it was made of. Each piece had been crafted out of polished automail. The earrings were studs, metal wolf heads that each held a ruby in their mouth. The bangles were decorated with a simple leaf pattern that reminded her of something she couldn't quite remember. The necklace was a 3D sculpture of the flamel, the symbol of his, as well as her own, teachings. A snake crucified on a cross, a winged crown on the northern point. She could even see small feathers on the wings. There was one difference from the original, though. In place of the snake's head was a wolf's; his one visible eye was a tiny piece of amber. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she stared at them. He'd made these, he must have. Very few people could use that amount of detail in a small piece, and that was her uncle, her mother before her, and herself. The idea that Ed had payed enough attention to how she'd made those pieces back in Hyda, and then applied it himself, for her...she couldn't even put how she felt into words. Riza returned, dressed and ready to go. She noticed Sara was hunched over on the stool, unmoving. She kneeled next to her and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sara sniffed and wiped her eyes, then turned to Riza with a nervous smile. "Yeah, I'm ok."

Riza smiled at her. She helped Sara with her make-up, not that she needed anything other than lipstick, and soon after both hopped in the car and drove off for HQ.

-----------

There was a large meeting on the other side, separate from the main building itself. This was where the festivities were taking place. Ed had gotten himself fitted for a military uniform sometime last week. He was required to wear it despite how much he hated it. His hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail, his bangs framing his face as always, not that he ever did or ever needed to do anything to it. He waited near the front entrance so as not to miss Sara when she arrived. He wanted to spare her the search and keep her from getting lost in the crowd of people.

"Perhaps you should just wait for her outside." suggested a familiar voice.

"I don't need your advice, General." Ed growled.

Roy stood next to him, smirking. "Well, if that were true, shrimp, you wouldn't be here in the first place."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

Roy laughed, "Just relax and have fun tonight, got it? And whatever you do, don't push her too far too fast. She might be able to fight off two large chimera at once, but that doesn't mean she can be a social butterfly when it's called for. She's not used to large groups of people she doesn't know, and she'll gladly run when she sees the chance to."

"And you're telling me this, why?" Ed inquired.

"Because I'm a friend that cares, Edward. As long as I've known her she's never been in a relationship of her own free will. She, like you, is inexperienced in these kinds of relationships."

"Wait, what?-"

"Just take things slow. That's all I'm saying."

Ed would've tried to argue further had Roy not walked away to meet Riza at the entrance. Riza was followed closely by Sara, or at least that's who he thought it was. He couldn't from this distance with people crossing in his line of vision. Riza turned to speak a few words to the person behind her and then walked off with Roy, becoming lost in the sea of blues, blacks, and browns. Apparently there had been a color pattern they'd missed somewhere. Ed worked his way through the crowd, making his way over to the entrance. When he finally reached an open spot he looked up to find her only three yards away. She hadn't noticed him yet, which was expected; he, like the rest of the military personnel, was wearing a blue uniform which pretty much blended into the crowd. Sara, however, stood out a little more than the rest. The dress was of the red velvet material he'd picked out, but the fit and pattern was so different from anything he could've imagined her in that he almost thought it couldn't be her. The skirt of the dress draped perfectly on her hips, coming down to about her ankles, showing only the slightest hint of her automail leg. There was a slit on the right side that came up to about her knee, showing off most of her leg. The top for the waist up was form fitting and showed every curve. It was sleeveless, exposing her automail arm, and from the just under her arms and up the top slanted until it combined with a collar-like piece of fabric around her neck that held it up. She was wearing some red heels that were made more for comfort than height, as well as the jewelry he'd made for her. The only make-up she wore was some raspberry red lipstick to compliment her dress. Her hair was lightly curled at the ends, and two braids started somewhere under her bangs and met in the back where they were tied together, combining into one and hanging down her back with the rest of her hair.

"Hey!" Ed called to her, smiling. Sara looked at him and suddenly darted toward the door. "Wait! Stop.." he laughed when he chased after her and caught her before she reached the door. "Where are you going?" he laughed.

Sara stood still. "I can't do this.."

"Sure you can-"

"No I can't. There's too many people and...apparently there was some color requirement I wasn't informed of, I don't know 99 percent of the people-" Sara rambled on nervously until Ed placed a finger lightly on her lips. This was starting to become a new habit of his.

"Let me tell you something." Ed whispered to her, "I don't most of these people, either. And I picked out the fabric for your dress, so the color thing is my fault. I wasn't informed of any color pattern, so I assumed there wasn't one..." Without thinking, Ed brushed a stray hair out of her face, making her blush slightly. "How 'bout we go hunt down some familiar faces, ok?"

"O-Ok." Sara answered nervously after a short moment. Ed smiled and held out his elbow for her. Neither of them were ones for formal parties, so it was no surprise when they both glanced at the floor nervously. Hesitantly, Sara linked her arm through his and held on as he guided her through the room.

They searched the entire room - Sara never letting go of his arm, not even for an instant - weaving through group after group of talking couples. It took what seemed like hours, which was really only 15 minutes, of wandering in silence before they finally found Mustang and his subordinates idling near the buffet table. Ed was able to pick up a conversation with them quickly, starting out with the usual jokes about his stature and or asking about how things were going between him and Sara. She, however, was too nervous to talk. Riza tried to help her feel better by talking to her and getting her a drink. Sara answered only on occasion, sipping at her drink nervously as she glanced around the room. It did calm her down, slightly, because after an hour or so of that she finally spoke.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?" Ed turned his amber gaze on her. When Sara froze up Riza nudged slightly, bringing her out of sudden dazed state she'd entered.

"Couldyouteachmetodance?" she blurted.

"What?" Ed asked, confused. He'd thought he'd had it at first but wasn't quite sure. Sara took a deep breath to try and quell the butterflies in her stomach, and tried again.

"Could you teach me to dance?"

Ed blinked. "Uuuh..I'm not much of a teacher.." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Please? Al told me you're a really good dancer, and I don't know how, so.." she trailed off at the end. She wasn't used to asking these things from anyone other than her older brother. It felt weird asking someone else, especially Ed. He sighed and thought about for a minute.

"..Sure."

Sara's stomach flipped. Riza had talked her into asking him earlier, before they'd left for the ball, and she'd been hoping he'd say no. If he had she would've thanked him for it and run off to hide in the bathroom or an empty office until the ball was over. Unfortunately, he said yes and now she had only two options: dance or run away and hope he didn't follow. Before she could make a decision, Ed tool her hand and guided her to out onto the dance floor where couples were already dancing to some sort of waltz. That was her guess anyway.

"She looked ready to run.." Roy observed as he watched the two of them walk onto the dance floor.

"She probably would have if I had let her stay like that.." Riza explained, "She has a strong sense of fight-or-flight in these situations. She comes across a criminal or a chimera, she fights-"

"And if she's going to a dance or talking to Edward, there's always flight."

"That's the idea, anyway."

They paused for a moment before Roy spoke again. "So, have we found her brother?"

"Yes. He's currently in a small town up north. He'll be leaving in a week to visit their grandmother, or at least that's what we've heard."

"Good. Keep and eye on him."

"Place your left hand in my right.." Ed explained. Sara did as he said and waited nervously for the rest. "Now, put your right hand on my left shoulder and I'll lead, ok?"

"Ok." Her voice cracked slightly as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Ed rested his remaining hand on her waist and she squeaked. He laughed and pulled her closer to him; she'd been a little too far away and in order for this to work they'd have to stand closer together. The first few steps in she tripped, and he'd catch her and try again. After a few more trips and being told to look at him, not at the floor, she actually started picking up the steps. Before long she was dancing like a pro. When that particular score ended, they applauded the band and waited where they were for the next piece. It was slightly different from the first, a little more upbeat, but she eventually figured out that all dances have the same basic concept and it was finished in no time. They stopped for a while to grab a drink and something to eat, all the while lost in their own conversation. Most of the time they were discussing alchemy and quizzing each other on various subjects. Ed noticed that the longer they talked the more comfortable Sara seemed. So during the next piece, which was slow and probably supposed to be romantic, they danced together slowly while continuing their conversation. About halfway through, though, they found themselves at a standstill. They'd run out of things to talk about all of a sudden and there was an awkward silence between them.

It stayed like that into the next piece, which was also slow and this time someone was singing. They both recognized the singer's voice, but they were too lost in their own thoughts to notice Roy standing at the mic. Perhaps it was the atmosphere, maybe it was the time of year, or it could've been the song or his sudden need for noise. Whatever it was, Ed's next statement was uncontrolled.

"You look beautiful tonight."

Sara blushed and tried to avoid looking down at the floor. She instead looked at his chest and muttered a quiet "thank you." Ed blushed as well and smacked himself in the head mentally. The statement had slipped right out of his mouth and now it was too late to stop it. He wouldn't be surprised if she ran away and he never saw her again.

"Um...you look...handsome, despite the fact that I like you better in something other than a uniform." Sara muttered, trying to compliment him in return. She also smacked herself in the head mentally. It had almost sounded like an insult. But Ed hadn't seen it as such. He actually smiled at her.

"Thanks."

She smiled nervously in return and went back to staring at his chest. They weren't moving, she realized, and though she couldn't see his face she noticed Ed seemed a little tense.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concerned. She looked up at him, trying to keep a smile on her face and her voice happy.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're trembling.." he pointed out.

Sara didn't understand at first but she realized that she was in fact shaking. "Well, now that you mention it.." Her knees suddenly gave out and she hung on to Edward to keep from falling to the floor. He held her tightly to his chest with his right arm and managed to pull his left glove off with his teeth to feel her forehead. She didn't seem to have a fever but she was clammy and pale, and that's what had worried him earlier. That coupled with the fact that she hadn't noticed anything was wrong. "Why is everything black? Did they turn off the lights?" she muttered. That couldn't be good.

"Just hold on to me and try to walk." he instructed her after removing his glove from his mouth. She nodded and he guided her to a chair against the wall near Riza, Havoc, Fuery, Breda, and Falman. Riza ran over immediately as he sat her down. The other four hadn't noticed anything, and even if they had they'd have been instructed to give Ed and Sara some room anyway.

"What's wrong?" she asked, feeling Sara's forehead.

"I don't know. Her knees suddenly buckled and she asked why everything was black..."

Riza sighed. "I told her she would make herself sick.." she muttered to no one imparticular. Roy ran up not to long after, his song apparently over.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Low blood sugar..just another one of her fainting spells, that's all. One of you fetch a glass of punch and something light for her to eat."

Without hesitation, Ed ran off and returned quickly with a glass of punch. Roy had returned with a few crackers. Riza held Sara steady in her seat as she asked, "Sara, can you hear me?"

"Yeah of course.." she answered. To Ed, she sounded tired.

"Can you see anything?"

Sara glanced around her. "Everything's still a little dark, and kinda fuzzy, but yeah for the most part.."

"Sara, I need you to stay here for a while, ok?"

"Alright."

Riza turned to Ed and Roy, and took the punch and crackers. "Here. Eat slowly and take slow, small sips." she commanded, handing them to her. She took them without a fuss and did as she was told, sipping at her drink and nibbling on a cracker between sips. "Stay with her and make sure she doesn't over exert herself until I get back." Riza ordered. Ed simply nodded and kneeled next to Sara's chair while Riza ran off to find her car. Roy stayed close by, observing how Ed treated her, almost like a protective father who was worried about who his daughter's new boyfriend was and what he was like. Not that he needed to anyway.

Ed was slowly and gently rubbing her back while she finished her crackers and punch. He asked if she felt any better and she smiled. "A little.."

Riza was back not long after and said that she'd take them back to the hotel. Ed nodded and helped Sara stand slowly. She only made it so far before her knees gave out again and he had to catch her. Riza told him it was because her blood sugar levels weren't high enough. So, he picked her up bridal style and carried her to the car. Roy had to admit, at that moment Ed really did seem perfect for her. Still, it was too soon to judge. Riza gave Roy a quick kiss goodbye and assured him she'd be back soon before heading for her car. She opened a rear passenger door for them so Ed could get in and not worry about dropping her or hitting her head on anything. Once Ed was settled in the back seat, with Sara sitting next to him, she climbed into the driver's seat and drove them back to the hotel.

-----------

Riza only lingered long enough to make sure they made it to their hotel room without any trouble. Once they were in their room and she was sure Ed had things under control, she said her goodbyes and closed the door behind her as she left. Ed sighed and layed her down on her bed. She'd fallen asleep in the car so convincing her to go to bed wouldn't be a problem. He kneeled next to her bed, leaning on the edge as he watched her. It was a shame that their night had ended the wait it did. Not that it mattered; it probably would've been a bland evening anyway. That, or they would've ended up arguing by the end of the night, which ever came first. But according to Riza, this was bound to happen. She'd been nervous that morning and, apparently, all through the afternoon. It couldn't be helped.

Sitting there, looking at her, she seemed so fragile. Within a mere week he'd seen her go from tough to delicate, and it was all because of him. In a way, it was his fault. She was, in his very tired mind, like a rose. Always sharp and rough when she had her defenses up, but once she was stripped of those defenses, stripped of her thorns, she was as delicate and fragile as any other flower.

Ed tried to shake himself out of his dazed state. Since when had he become so soft? Weirder yet, since when was he a poet?

Ed brushed a stray hair out of her face, still deep in thought. How had Roy known of the two chimera? And what had happened to Sara's sister? What could be so bad that she couldn't even think about it without tearing up? Well, whatever the answer, he would have to wait till tomorrow.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, there ya have it. And luckily I took a Motrin, so the headache is gone!

**Ed:** Wonderful.. _(sarcastic)_

**Sara:** Yay for you! _(high fives)_

**Me:** Don't be glum, Ed. It's not like she used anything permanent.

**Ed:** How can you be so sure?! _(fake ears twitch back in cat-like irritation)_

**Sara and I:** ...

**Ed:** ...what? _(fake tail twitches)_

**Me:** ...Uuuuuh, ok then! Heh heh, we'll see you next chapter!

**Ed:** What?! What'd I do?!!


	15. Episode 14: A Past Revealed

Hello again! Time for another update... _(looks over shoulder)_ why are you hiding behind me, and why is Al unconcious?

**Sara:** B-Because..

**Me:** Because Ed's tail and ears moved?

**Sara:** Yes!

**Ed:** I thought you said they were only glued on!! _(ears flip back, tail twitches)_

**Sara:** They are!! It's not like I used alchemy to stick them to you!

**Me:** Did you?

**Sara:** NO! That's human transmutation! I'd never do that to Ed!!

**Me:** Hm...well, while we try to solve this mystery, enjoy episode 14!

* * *

**_Episode 14: A Past Revealed_**

Sara seemed to be the same stubborn girl Ed had met in Hyda the morning after. The only difference was that she'd started avoiding him even more than usual. She tended to keep her eyes on what she was doing and away from him. She wouldn't talk to him, either. When he returned from picking up her new clothes, which looked a lot like his old set that he had fitted for her..on her, she just growled, grabbed a set, and locked herself in the bathroom to change. He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong, but he planned to find out.

Sometime before lunch, he sat on the edge of his bed and stared at her. She was reading her book again, scowling at the pages for whatever reason. She'd been like that for a couple hours and it was really getting on his nerves. After a few minutes, she actually bothered to glance at him.

"What?" she growled.

"Why are you mad at me?" he asked innocently. She just stared at him. "Did I do something to upset you?" Sara returned to glaring at her book and turned the page. She was ignoring him again. Ed glared at her. What the hell had he done to deserve this? "Tell me what's bothering you.."

"No."

"..Please?"

It went on like that for the next few days, sometimes non-stop, and Sara eventually gave up trying to read. It was to Al's dismay that he returned in the middle of a particularly heated arguement. He'd been fully prepared to apologize for being gone so long when he opened the door, but instead found himself silent, staring at an angry pair of alchemists yelling at each other for some odd reason. His guess was that they'd called each other short again, which was partially right. The other reason, he discovered, was because Ed still had no idea why she was angry with him. With some persuasion, he was eventually able to sit them down, get them quiet, and ask them to explain what had happened after he'd left. When they finished, he nodded in thought and turned to Sara.

"So what is bothering you?" he asked her with a gentle tone.

"I'm not telling either of you!" she snapped.

Ed was about to yell "why not?!" but Al interrupted him. "Would you rather talk to someone else, like Hawkeye or Winry?"

Ed looked at him suspiciously. Sara was silent for a moment and her hard expression softened slightly. "I'd prefer it.." she muttered.

"Ok then." Al stood, "Ed, you stay here for a minute. Come on, Sara, we'll go call Winry."

Ed leaned on the headboard of his bed while he waited for Al. When he returned, he closed the door to the other room behind him and motioned for Ed to join him by the wall. "What are you up to?" Ed whispered.

"You want to know what's bothering her, don't you?" Al whispered back. It all made sense when Al transmuted a pipe that connected the bedroom and the kitchen in the other room so they could listen to Sara.

"..Hi Winry...Oh they did, did they?...sigh. Well, the thing is...yeah, sort of. I've been real achy these past few days so...Well, the other thing is, I-I'm kinda homesick. Don't get me wrong, I do like being on the road again, and Ed's been so nice to me...It's just that I feel we've-well, I've, been here too long...I just want to go home.." She'd sounded annoyed at first, but as she talked it sounded like she was tearing up. Hadn't Ed mentioned they wouldn't stay too long? And why the hell weren't the tracks fixed yet? Actually, they knew the answer to that one. With bad weather, as well as other things that needed done, there was just too much to do. But surely, with the Spring Ball done and over with, they'd be able to finish within the week. Well, whether they were or not, They'd be leaving the next night.

The very next morning, Ed disappeared shortly after breakfast.

"Well, if you insist," Roy pulled a paper out of the top drawer of his desk, "There is a town on the way there that has been experiencing strange phenomena throughout the month. Since most of the occurences seemed small, we didn't bother to deploy anyone." Roy handed the paper to Ed, who read through it quickly while the general spoke. "But as you can see, their latest experiences have proved that this needs further investigation. Plus, it'll help get Sara back out on the field."

"...Looks good."

"You'll take it then?"

Ed smirked.

"And here I thought you never wanted to rejoin the military again." Roy recalled.

"Things change. Besides, this time I know there isn't a homunculus pulling the strings."

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the next town?" Riza asked as her passengers stepped out of the car.

"We'll be fine." Ed told her.

"Besides, we need the exercise." Al added with a quick laugh.

Sara stood silently next to them, holding her suitcase. Riza had given them a ride to the edge of the city, where they now stood.

"Alright. It should only take you 2 days to walk there. Give us a call back at HQ when you make it there." Riza ordered.

"Why?" Al asked, curious.

"Various attacks have been reported over the past few weeks. Most between here and Hyda. If you see anything, let us know." With that said, Riza shifted gears and drove away.

"So may I ask where the hell we're going?" Sara asked stubbornly. She'd asked earlier that morning, numerous times in fact, but no one would give her a straight answer.

"A small town about 2 days away." Al answered. They'd been walking for over an hour and Sara was getting sick and tired of being left in the dark.

"That doesn't tell me anything..." she complained, "Now you either tell me where we're going or I'll pin you both down and make you tell me." Sara held her hands up, ready to use alchemy if need be.

Ed sighed, "We're going to a town called Red River, so stop making threats and be quiet."

Sara froze in her tracks, recognizing the name. "Red River?"

When Ed and Al stopped to turn around and answer her, they found she was no longer behind them. Somehow, she'd run back 30 yards to the nearest tree and had climbed up to the thickest branches near the top, all without making a noise.

"What the..?"

"How did she..?"

Ed and Al stared at each other, and then at her. They'd never known she could move that fast. They quickly ran back to the tree, Ed gathering more questions for her in his head. His plan was to ask her a few questions everyday, either throughout the afternoon or all at once in the evening. He wasn't if Al had the same idea or if he wasn't bothering to ask, not wanting any trouble between them.

Ed stopped at the base of the tree, just under her branch. "What are you doing?" Ed asked, trying to stay patient with her.

"What does it LOOK like I'm doing?" she retorted.

"It's looks like you're pissing me off and being and idiot, that's what!"

"Oh, well excuse me for looking like an idiot!!"

Ed sighed; he'd hoped they could avoid this, but apparently he had no choice in the matter. "Look, I don't want to fight with you today-"

"Ooooh, is the little alchemist too afraid to fight a girl?" Sara egged on from the top of the tree.

Ed clenched his jaw, "Listen, the only reason we're going to Red River is because it's on the way and Mustang told me some weird things were happening there."

"On the way to where, exactly?" Sara asked, glaring down at him.

Ed laughed slightly, "Well Hyda, of course. Where else would we be headed?"

Sara's glare slowly faded away into a surprised stare as she remembered something he'd told her. "You...you're taking me home?"

"I made a promise, didn't I?"

"Y-Yeah, but that was a promise that you wouldn't let anything happen to me while we were in Central.." she reminded him, glaring slightly, "..and you obviously didn't keep that promise."

Ed smiled up at her. "Well, then I'll make you a new promise. One that I won't forget..I promise you this: No matter what it takes, I'll make sure you make it back home safely." Sara smirked down at him. "Now, please come down so we can keep moving. I'd like to make it there before-" Before Ed could finish, Sara jumped down from her perch and launched herself at him upon landing, enveloping him in a crushing hug.

"Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!!" she squeeled rapid fire. Ed didn't even have time to register what had happened. All he knew for sure was that Al was snickering somewhere out of his range of sight, and that his own face suddenly felt hot. Sara quickly realized she laying on top of him, and that she'd just slammed him into the ground without thinking. She pushed herself up and hastily resumed the walk to Red River, leaving one amused brother and one confused and red-faced alchemist behind her.

They only got about half way before they needed to stop and set up camp for the night. they didn't eat much that night since none of them thought to bring along a lot of food. Sara didn't bring anything edible because she had not known they were leaving. Al fell asleep immediately after eating, leaving Sara and Edward to themselves. Al tended to sleep like a rock once he was out; he'd always been that way, even when they were kids. Ed figured it was the perfect time to ask her some questions, and so watched her for a second before asking, "What happened?"

Sara glanced up in confusion.

"What happened to your sister?...And why does Envy look like you?"

Sara looked away, trying to hide from his piercing eyes, staring into the fire. She watched as a log split in half, being eaten away as the flames danced and licked away at its core. Ed sat patiently, waiting for an answer.

"...Interesting..." she finally muttered after a moment.

"What is?"

"That you ask them like they're connected somehow.." Her voice was almost monotone when she spoke. It made Ed feel a little uncomfortable; this wasn't like her at all. _She shouldn't be like this..she almost seems dead inside.._ She looked it, too. She sat unhumanly still and her face held no emotion, like a statue. She looked tired and worn, like someone who'd seen too much in her short life...she almost looked depressed.

"Maybe it's still too soon to ask.." he said after a moment.

Sara sighed and attempted to look at him again. "No...it's never too soon..I'm just..not sure if I should answer or not..."

"Why's that?"

"Because..I'm not sure how you'd react if I told you..."

Ed was curious now; maybe he'd get an answer after all. He leaned closer so he could hear her - she'd dropped almost to a whisper and it was hard to hear her over the crackling fire and chirping crickets.

"Ed?"

"Hm?"

"...I see no point in keeping it from you, but I'm only telling you what I can manage to at this point. You have to understand that I'm putting a lot of trust in you right now. And since what I'm about to tell you is very personal, I want you to tell me something in return..."

Ed smiled, turning his gaze to the dirt at her feet, "Equivalent Exchange.."

Sara didn't answer; she was staring at the fire again. She glanced at him quickly before opening the flood gates of her mind to her memories again. "When the military brought back my parents remains and buried them, that night, after the funeral, I kept thinking the same thing over and over again. At the time, it didn't seem childish at all, but after that..everything changed.

My brother called a few days later, saying he'd be on his way home soon..I told him to take me with him the next time he went back for training.

I trained for an entire year before I was ready to go back...When I returned to Hyda, I didn't speak to anyone, not Kayla, not even my own sister. I had my mind set and I didn't want anyone to try and change that. But my sister kept pestering me, asking me questions: where had I been, what was I doing, why wouldn't I answer her. I finally snapped one day and told her what I was doing and she protested, pointing out the obvious. She knew nothing of alchemy and when I refused to back down from my decision, she offered to help...I shouldn't have let her.." Sara looked Edward dead in the eyes, an almost angry glare on her face. But even though her face was angry, her voice was level and calm. "We tried to bring our parents back, Ed."

Edward didn't move. The only changes were in his face, a look of realization planted there.

"Your story must be similar to mine," she continued, "You're the same as I am, only there are slight differences between you and I.." Ed gave her a look of confusion, but she moved on, "We offered our blood and some of our hair for the soul, and the materials before us for the body. Everything was set up perfectly, but the transmutation didn't go as planned.."

_**FlashBack**_

_"Sara, something doesn't seem right..maybe we should..AAAH!!"_

_"Trish?" Sara turned to her sister, away from the swirling purple and black light before her. Her eyes went wide with shock at the sight of her sister, her legs already disintegrating as she screamed._

_"AAAAH!!"_

_"Trish!!" Sara reached for her, only to find her own arms were disappearing and her legs falling to pieces. She suddenly found herself being pulled into a strange vortex of light that had opened up behind her. She reached out to her older sister, straining to hold on. "Trish!! HELP ME!!" she screamed, frantically reaching for her sister though her own arms were almost gone._

_"Sara!!" Trish reached for her sister sister desperately, crawling closer, trying to catch her before she was swallowed by the light completely._

_"Trish!!" Sara screamed again. Trish came within and inch of her sister's hand before Sara was completely swallowed, taken by the gate._

_"Saraaa!!"_

_**End FlashBack**_

"I'm surprised I can even remember most of this...The next thing I knew, I stood before a giant set of doors in a brightly lit place..It mentioned a toll and then these..millions of tiny black hands grabbed me...There was a blinding light..My sister's voice, telling them to let me go and take her instead..And then I was laying on the floor, one arm and one leg missing, blood everywhere..I screamed, first in pain, and then looked around for my sister.."

_**FlashBack**_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!!" Sara couldn't understand it. She'd done everything right. What went wrong? she thought, holding the place where her right arm had been while a stump of her opposite leg bled. "I don't understand..this..this shouldn't of happened.." She looked up, looking for her sister. "Trish?..Trish?!..Trish!!" She looked where her sister had been and only found clothes. Trish had been lost to the gate. "I'm so sorry..I never ment for this to happen.." she sobbed. Lightning flashed outside, a large storm raging above Hyda. One bolt hit Sara's house and quickly began to catch fire._

_Kayla and Charis, along with Sara's uncle Dominic, ran up to the house knowing that the two girls had been home the past few days. Charis and Kayla couldn't do much of anything except wait for Dominic to run in and come back out of the building, hopefully with both girls safe and sound. Dominic checked what rooms weren't blocked off and no sign of them. He headed down into the basement, where luckily the fire hadn't yet reached. He found Sara next to a large blood stain on the floor, but ignored it and went straight for her. She was in bad shape and she was losing a lot of blood. Lucky for him there was a cellar door that led to the outside. He quickly burst through the door as the house began to collapse, and as they ran her to the nearest doctor in town, she watched over her uncle's shoulder as her house was completely consumed in flames._

_**End FlashBack**_

Edward was at a loss for words; he'd never imagined...how was she still here? She had to have had a bigger toll than two limbs. But the fact that she was even sitting in front of him now was..amazing, shocking, and confusing all at once. He found it almost impossible to believe that she'd been taken by the gate, and that her sister had sacrificed herself completely to save her from the gate.

"The gate shoved a lot of information into my head, most of which I don't even remember..I found out, that night, that what we created was nothing like we'd intended..they looked nothing like our parents, nor did they even appear human...and that's how Envy and Pride came to be."

"But...how? How did Envy-"

"Apparently, my sister performing her transmutation to bring me back - which was strange because she didn't know any alchemy - right after the initial one, caused a change in our results..Envy ended up looking like me, and yet I'm still alive. Pride was the one I could never understand..."

"Why's that?"

"Because..he looks like you."

Edward stopped breathing this time and Sara had to shake him out of his shocked stupor.

"But that doesn't make any sense...how could that.."

Sara shook her head, "I don't know. Maybe, one day, I'll figure it out...So, was I right?" Ed looked at her, "About our pasts being similar?"

Ed grimaced and looked at the dirt to avoid her piercing eyes. "Yeah, somewhat.."

"..I thought so...You know, that's part of the reason you caught my attention on the streets the day we met.."

"Because you thought I was Pride.."

Sara nodded, "Yes.."

Ed smirked and looked back up at her with sad eyes, "So what was the main reason then?"

Sara smiled at him, tired from all the emotional stress she'd had to suppress while revisiting the horrific memories. "Your eyes." She kept smiling at him, taking one last look at his eyes before laying down. Had she realized what she'd told him, she would have tried to take it back, but she was too tired to care. "Goodnight, Edward" she yawned before letting sleep take her. Ed smiled back.

"You know, you haven't asked anything of me yet.." Ed reminded her.

"You told me enough already." she smirked.

"Goodnight." As he lay there, staring at the stars, everything Sara had told him ran through his mind, start to finish. The part that bothered him that night, before he fell asleep, was that there was someone out there with his face, and they weren't even human.

* * *

FINALLY!! Episode 14 posted! Yeah, a little fluff... Sorry that took so long. I had tests to take, projects to work on, etc.

**Sara:** Plus, you're still trying to figure out what happen to Ed...

**Ed:** Grrr... _(ears and tail twitch)_

**Me:** ...Maybe you accidently used alchemy while you were putting them on...Well, anyway, Episode 15 will obviously be A WHILE, so I hope you enjoyed! See you next chapter!

P.S. - Why is FanFic so temperamental lately?


	16. Episode 15: Red River

**Ed:** I don't like the sound of that...

**Sara:** Oh come on, Ed, it's the only way we can think of to removes them.

**Me:** Plus, if you don't, Sara won't leave you alone until you do.

**Ed:** ...well...

**Sara:** Please, Edward?

**Ed:** ...ok

**Me:** Meanwhile, I'll get the next chapter started. Here you go guys, Episode 15! Enjoy!

--

_**Episode 15: Red River**_

They woke early the next morning and continued their journey to Red River. They were glad it was spring because if they'd been traveling in the summer, they surely would have collapsed in exhaustion, due to the heat as well as the lack of trees along the road. There was a cool breeze that kept them comfortable but now it was too warm for their coats. Al's and Sara's coats were made for warmer weather and were easy enough to fold up and stuff in a suitcase, Sara's to be exact. Her books and flute ended up in Ed's suitcase by mistake and they hadn't bothered to switch them back, so there'd been plenty of room in her suitcase. Ed's coat, however, which was the same one he had worn in Germany and still wore now, was thick and tailored for cold winter days. So due to this, it was too bulky to pack away until later. He carried it over his arm instead, using his free hand to carry his suitcase over his shoulder.

Conversation was minimal at first and mainly consisted of stupid things they'd done as kids. Sara would join in occasionally, but by sunset they were exhausted and knew that they'd have to stop for the night. They happened to walk through a small river town before nightfall, so they stayed in the nearest inn for the night.

It was when they left the inn the next morning that Sara recognized the town.

"Wow, not much has changed since the last time I was here..." she said, looking at the houses as they passed by.

"You've been here before?" Ed asked.

"Well, duh. Would I have resisted coming if I hadn't?"

"Good point. So, when was the last time you were here?"

"Hmmmm," Sara took the moment to think, walking backwards so she could talk to them, "I'd say about...5 years now." She added.

"So then you must know someone here, right?" Al asked with a smile.

"Just one, but I'm not quite sure where he'd be right now..."

"As long as he knows the town, I don't care…" Ed said, "I'm tired of wandering the streets without having a clue as to where I am."

They checked the riverside first, asking workers if they knew where this friend of hers was. While she asked around, Ed and Al got a good look at the river; there really didn't seem to be anything special about it.

"Any luck?" Al asked when she returned to their sides.

"Most of them said they hadn't seen him today, and one or two said this was his day off," she answered.

"So then he must be at home or in town."

"Yep"

"Lead the way." Ed smiled.

--

"Let's just hope he's here..." Sara said, knocking on the front door of small, two story brick house. It was well maintained considering only one person lived here. There was even a small garden out front. They didn't have to wait long before someone answered the door.

"Uh, can I help you?" A man said.

He was 18 years old with black hair that reminded them a lot of Roy. Sky blue eyes peered through oval glasses and his hair was pulled into a low ponytail in back. He wore work jeans and a T-shirt, and just looking at him only one word came to mind. 'Tall.' He was probably 2 or 3 inches taller than Al, but with Sara as the closest comparison he almost seemed taller.

"Uh, hi...remember me?" Sara asked the man who blinked and looked her over. It took him a few seconds to recognize her and when he finally did, he smiled.

"Sara!" he exclaimed, drawing her into a tight bear hug, lifting her off the ground a few inches. "Wow! It's been so long since I saw you last! It's so great to see you!"

"That's...great...can't...breathe..." Sara choked barely getting her words out.

"Oh, sorry." he apologized, setting her back down. "And to think, I almost didn't recognize you. You look great! How've you been? What've you been up to lately?" he said throwing out as many questions as he could in one sentence, excited to see an old friend.

"Could we at least come in first?" Sara asked with a small embarrassed grin.

"Oh sure, come on in. If you're hungry I can fix you guys something to eat." he offered, closing the door once they were inside.

"Yes, please!" Sara and Ed both exclaimed.

"Oh, by the way, this is Vince." Sara said realizing that she hadn't already introduced them. "And Vince, this is Edward Elric and his little brother, Alphonse." Sara added.

"Nice to meet you," Vince greeted, shaking both their hands.

"Same here," Ed and Al responded.

"So let's go to the kitchen so you can tell me what you've been up to." Vince suggested.

The windows in the kitchen were open, letting in the fresh spring air with the cool breeze. Vince grabbed them some drinks while they sat at the table.

"So, how've you been these past five years?" Vince asked, setting three glasses in the middle of the table before heading back to the stove to continue cooking the stew he'd been making before they'd arrived.

"About the same as I was the last time I was here," she answered, grabbing the only glass of milk from the center of the table. Ed and Al grabbed the remaining glasses of orange juice, which she'd been sure to avoid.

"I see you still don't like orange juice." Vince laughed as he watched the three of them take their drinks.

"What you thought that would change?" Sara retorted, taking a sip of her milk.

"Well, you're definitely prettier than the last time I saw you." he commented. Both Ed and Sara choked on their drinks at the sudden comment.

"What the hell?!" Sara gasped, turning her flushed angry face to Vince.

Al patted his brother's back to help him breathe again who was attempting to swallow his juice at the same time.

"What? It was a compliment." Vince laughed.

Sara just glared at him a moment longer before returning to her drink, still slightly flushed.

"So are you still a state alchemist?" Vince asked as he set bowls of stew in front of her and both the brothers.

"Kind of..." she muttered before taking a bite.

"Cool. So what about you two?" he asked, sitting down next to her and turning to Ed and Al.

"I'm a state alchemist, too. Al here's not in the military but he follows me where ever I go." Ed answered.

"I've been thinking about joining, though. I'm just not sure if I should yet." Al added.

This didn't bother Ed like it would've when they were younger. They'd already discussed the matter and Ed knew Al was old enough to make his own decisions. Plus, he was still unsure if he would join or not anyway, so there was still the possibility that he wouldn't.

"So how long have you been on the road?" Vince asked.

"About 6 or 7 years-"

"I'm sorry I meant all three of you."

Ed and Sara glanced at each other before he answered. "Uh...about a month or so now, maybe two..."

"Hmmm...So, are you two together then?" Vince asked casually.

Ed blinked and had a quick moment to think about his words before answering. "Ummm...we're partners in the military, yes..."

"I mean are you together?" Vince repeated, only confusing Ed further.

"...You know, together?" he emphasized, meshing his fingers together only he still got no response.

"Like boyfriend and girlfriend?" he said giving up.

Sara spat some of her milk back into her glass all of a sudden. She and Ed had both turned a bright shade of pink.

"No! What the hell makes everyone think that?!" Ed yelled.

"Ya know what suddenly I'm not hungry anymore..." Sara said excusing herself from the table and heading for the empty guest bedroom where she'd slept the last time she was here.

"Jeez...It's amazing how an innocent question can set you two off." Vince snickered.

"It's ok. They've been asked that a lot over the past month." Al explained, "But it's obvious they like each other, so that question might have a different answer soon."

"Shut up, Al..." Ed grumbled and while he did that Vince laughed.

"Why are you asking anyway?" Ed asked, slightly annoyed.

"No particular reason. It just surprises me that she's traveling with someone." Vince answered.

"Why is that surprising?" Al asked.

"Well, before she left she told me that she's always traveled alone and that I was one of the few friends she had who hadn't died yet." Vince explained, "Sounds weird, I know...but it gets even stranger. Apparently, they all died within the first week of knowing her." He added.

"And she told you all of this?" Ed asked.

"Yes and no. She told me that her friends always died before she'd leave and that she only stayed a week in each town. Put the two together and it's the only answer that makes sense." Vince answered with a look of knowledge in his eyes.

"Did she happen to tell you how they died?" Ed asked now very interested in what Vince had to say.

"She said she didn't know. Only that she'd find out the day after or that she happened to find them." Vince said as he glanced toward the guest bedroom before motioning for them to move in closer.

"But, after she left, I went through all the newspapers I had from the previous year. Almost every other one had a similar headline, and they were all claimed to be animal attacks. From what I could tell, the earliest attack was on the road between here and Central. Apparently someone was on their way to Central and they hit something, or at least that's what you gather from the article. It said that the front of the car was really torn up. The driver supposedly got out of his car to check the damage and see what he'd hit, and he was attacked. There'd been another person in the car and they were alive long enough to make it to the hospital...give me a second..." Vince said before he stood and ran off to some other part of the house, returning a minute later with a scrapbook in his hands. He opened it up to a tabbed page and spun it around for them to see.

"This is what they looked like when they were found..." He said with a sad tone in his voice.

Ed and Al's eyes grew wide with shock. They found themselves looking at a black-and-white photo of the attack site. There were dark stains on the ground, which they could only guess was blood and lots of it, and the car looked worse than they'd imagined. The survivor's picture was right next to it, and just looking it was a wonder they'd made it to the hospital. They appeared to be a young woman if they paid attention to body structure, but the victim's face was covered in blood and scratches, so it was hard to tell. Their body was in terrible shape, it was covered in deep gashes across their upper torso and their legs appeared to have been bitten several times and broken in various places.

"That girl there was found on the floor in the back and the car was a good twenty feet or more from the road, on its side. Some military officers happened to drive by the next morning and found the wreck. They managed to have her tell them what had happened before taking her to the hospital, where she died shortly after she was taken in." Vince explained in a whisper. "Since then, all the other reported attacks have had similar outcomes. Large holes in walls, cars tossed or destroyed, people torn to shreds...At the time, a lot of the locals thought it might've been a bear, but there were a rare few that said it looked more like a dog."

"Just like in Hyda..." Ed thought out loud.

Vince didn't say anything instead he picked up Sara's bowl and handed it to Edward.

"Here,"

"What's this for?" Ed asked.

"Take it to her. You guys haven't eaten in a few days and if she skips any meals while she's here, I'm going to start worrying about her...Just make sure she eats it." Vince answered looking a little worried already.

Ed took the bowl from him, too tired to argue against it, and left the kitchen.

--

Sara sat in bed, leaning on the window sill of the only open window in the room, staring out at nothing in particular. _'Dammit...everywhere I go, 'is she your girlfriend?' 'Are you two going out?' blah blah blah...Who knew traveling with the Fullmetal pipsqueak would be such a pain... And my head hurts again, as well as every bone in my body. It must be soon...I've got to get out of here and away from them...'_ She thought.

"Here," said a familiar voice.

She turned and was slightly surprised to find Edward holding her bowl of stew that she hadn't finished in front of her.

"You need to eat something." Ed said.

Sara frowned. "I said I wasn't hungry..." she muttered, turning back toward the window. Ed's hard eyes didn't leave hers and again she felt them piercing through her.

"Why do you do that?!" she yelled suddenly, turning to face him again.

"Do what?!" he snapped, suddenly irritated.

"You glare at me until you get what you want out of me, that's what! It's irritating!"

"Yeah, well so is your attitude!" he shouted back, "One minute you're happy, the next you're yelling at me!"

"Stop being so small-minded and maybe I wouldn't yell at you!"

"I'M NOT SMALL!! AND YOU'RE SHORTER THAN ME ANYWAY!"

"NO I'M NOT, I'M AVERAGE HEIGHT!"

"COMPARED TO WHAT, A LAWN NOME?!"

"AH...you...you...SHRIMP!!"

Ed grinned with victory. She was running out of things to call him already. But her expression changed immediately from anger to fear and she backed against the wall. His grin disappeared and now he was confused.

"What?" he asked, glancing once behind him, "What's wrong?" Sara stared at him a minute before looking away and shaking her head.

"N-No, no...It's nothing...you just...you scared me for a second, that's all..."

Ed didn't understand at first but he quickly remembered what she'd told him the previous night. _'Because...he looks like you.'_ Ed suddenly felt bad about what he'd said, though he also thought he was getting soft in his old age.

"...Listen...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you, I just came in here to make sure you eat something..." Ed whispered as he placed the now cold bowl of stew on the nightstand and reheated it with a quick transmutation. "Al and I are going to search the town for information on these attacks. You can come with us if you want to..." he muttered as he left the bedroom, leaving her there alone.

--

YAY! Finally! Here you go, episode 15! I'd like to thank **Crimsondagger** for checking and editing this for me! It actually reads so much better than when I first wrote it! ThankyouthankyouTHANK YOU!! I'll be starting 16 soon, so be patient with me-

**Sara:** And Ed's back to normal now.

**Me:** _(looks around)_ Where is he?

**Sara:** Hm? Oh! Uh...he's...sleeping

**Me:** Again?

**Sara:** Well once we got the ears, teeth, and tail removed, he was so tired that he fell asleep right there. So we're just letting him sleep...ooooo, soda!

**Al:** _(grabs can and holds it out of her reach)_ No, you're not supposed to have soda, remember?

**Sara:** _(pouts) _so?

**Me:** Anyway, we'll see you next chapter!


	17. Episode 16: Kai's Return

**Ed: **…ooow, my head

**Sara: **Oh, hey Ed! Did you have a nice nap?

**Ed: **Hardly…

**Me: **Well man up! We've got work to do!

**Ed: **What?!

**Me:** lol inside joke X3 Anyway, here's chapter 16! Enjoy!

* * *

_**Episode 16: Kai's Return**_

"Damn it. The people in this town sure are small minded," Ed spat in frustration, "We know no more than what we started with."

"Well, at least they answered your questions the best they could." Al commented. They had gone around talking to the town's people to see if there was anyone that had any more information, but it seemed that no one knew anything more than what was in the weekly newspaper.

"That might be true Al, but it doesn't get us any closer to finding this thing." Edward retorted. He was frustrated as for the past hour they'd been asking about the strange attacks, but everywhere they went they received the same answers, things they already knew. Being alchemists, they were well aware that there were hidden options that were simply being missed. It didn't hit Ed till much later that if Sara had come they could've covered the entire town much faster…as well as the threat of being set ablaze if Mustang found out he wasn't at her side 24/7. But then again, she technically wasn't alone to say as much, Vince was still there, to their knowledge, so she should've been ok for a few hours.

Boy, were they wrong…

Sara gasped for air, instinctively trying to ease the sharp pain in her chest and head. Her body felt like it was overheating and she was covered in sweat, if she didn't get out of the house soon something was going to be broken or destroyed.

Vince had come to check on her, he had heard loud noises coming from her room. When he walked in to see what was wrong he found holes in the walls and Sara on the floor gasping for air. In his panic, he'd dashed out to find either a doctor or the Elric brothers which was around thirty seconds ago. Whichever one he brought back it was not going to any help and it wouldn't be good if they saw her now. Sara groaned as she pushed herself up off the floor and stripped 

off her clothes in an effort to stay cool and calm. She threw them on the bed and hurried out of her room to the back door.

Ed and Al were now in the process of trying to find their way back along the dark streets. Night had come fast, they'd already checked the small library for old news articles and everywhere else they could have thought of that might have held something but still nothing.

"I'm starting to think I shouldn't have agreed to this." Ed sighed.

"Why did you?" Al asked, curious.

"I wanted to get Sara out of Central so she'd stop moping about and this was the only thing available that would get us back on the road…Wait a minute, you already know that!"

"I know." Al smiled.

"Then why did you ask?" Edward asked, crossing his arms and allowing a small glare to form across his face.

"To remind you why we're doing this in the first place, you just have to be patient and something will come up." Al answered, still wearing his smile.

"You're right" Ed sighed. "Since when did you get so smart?" he added teasing his young brother.

"'I've had plenty of time to study." Al responded with a grin.

"Study what?" Ed asked a little confused. Al opened his mouth to answer but never got the chance to speak as Vince came running up to them. He seemed to be in a hurry and was relieved to see the brothers.

"I'm so glad…I found you guys…" he said, between breaths, panting as he came to a stop in front of them.

"Why, what's wrong?" Ed asked cautiously.

"Sara's gone missing…" Vince answered.

"What do you mean, missing? Weren't you in the house with her?" Ed's temper was slowly building, not in anger but in worry. She'd only gone missing twice since he'd met her, and in both cases she didn't come back unharmed.

"Well, yeah, until I ran out to get a doctor. I heard some loud thuds coming from her room and when I checked to see what was going on, I found her on the floor covered in sweat and holding 

back screams," Vince explained, "I thought she was sick or had broken something so I ran to get the doctor and when we came back, she was gone."

Edward muttered a quick curse and bolted in the direction Vince had come from before anything else could be said. Al and Vince looked at each other for a few moments then raced after Ed. _What was I thinking?! I should've just dragged her along with us!_ Ed thought frantically. By the time they reached the house it was obvious she was long gone, he couldn't hear nothing but the wind and a few small sounds. Once inside Ed had immediately noticed that the back door was open and went to check for any tracks or hints as to which way she'd gone.

In the meantime Al checked her room, he found her clothes were still out on the bed and from the looks of things she hadn't taken anything with her. Apparently, she'd been in a hurry, but where would she go? She was sick so she couldn't have gotten far.

Ed did manage to find some tracks but they disappeared in the grass about twenty yards from the house. _Where could she have gone?_

"Brother, Did you find anything?!" Al called from the house.

"I found some tracks, but they disappear right here!" Ed called back over his shoulder.

Al raced outside and walked over to where Ed was pointing.

"That's weird…" Alphonse whispered.

"I know. It's like she just…disappeared. Plus, she's not wearing her boots, so it was probably last minute." Edward said, looking over the tracks.

"But where would she go? If she's sick there's no reason to run off into the fields." Al pointed out.

"I know. The most logical thing to do would've been to stay in her room until the doctor arrived, that way she'd have a bigger chance of being treated without worsening her condition." Ed said as he shook his head. It didn't make sense. "What did you find in her room?" He asked turning to Al.

"Um…well, I found clothes and holes in the walls." Al answered, remembering the scene.

"How big were the holes?" Ed asked, just as curious as he was worried.

"The size of a fist though perhaps they were slightly bigger probably from the force of the punch." Al guessed, "And it didn't look like she'd actually been trying to hit anything in particular." Al paused, waiting for his brother's response.

Ed couldn't make everything add up. He was missing something, he had to be. There was a vital clue here that he hadn't noticed yet.

"Brother…"Al's voice came breaking Ed from his thoughts.

Ed looked up and over to Al who was staring at something out in the fields, slowly he followed his gaze to find that he was watching some sort of animal. The thing was… it was running right towards them. He watched it carefully for a few seconds, figuring that like most animals it would veer away when it came too close. But he realized very quickly that it didn't plan on running away what it was doing was getting ready to attack.

"Al, move!" Ed shouted, shoving Al back towards the house and braced himself for impact.

"Brother!" Al shouted from the shock of being pushed.

The animal snarled and pounced on Ed pinning him to the ground with his auto mail arm between its teeth. Ed didn't struggle, for now he just concentrated on guarding his face and vital organs from harm. Without warning it pulled his from his arm and started to attack his left, forcing him to roll over. He kept still, hoping that perhaps it would lose interest. There were a few tugs on his arm and then a furry muzzle was shoved in his face. Ed could only imagine what Al was thinking. Another tug on his arm again and then something poked him in the ribs, perhaps even trying to get under him. When he didn't respond the muzzle was back in his face. Ed glanced up to find a black nose attached to a golden muzzle. Though it was dark, he instantly recognized the wolf in front of him.

"…Kai?" He sat up to get a good look at Kai, the one who had run out on Sara way back. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" He shouted enraged.

Kai pushed up on Ed's chin with his nose, and then moved on to pushing Ed's chest. Ed took it as a hint that he should stand up, but why Kai didn't just say so was beyond him. He shot an irritated glare at him as he stood. Kai ignored it and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him towards town.

"You know, if you want something from me you could say so."

Kai rolled his eyes – obviously thinking Ed was an idiot – and took a few steps towards town, stopping to look back at Ed.

"What? You want me to follow you?" Ed asked, slightly confused.

Kai nodded darted into town.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ed called after him, "Come on, Al!" he added, quickly looking over to his brother and signaling for him to follow.

…

"Brother, didn't you say something about her wolves being able to talk?" Al asked, running next to Ed as they followed Kai.

"Yes, I did…" Ed responded. Their first night at Kayla's, Ed and Al had stayed up late, discussing everything that had happened. Al hadn't completely trusted Sara's wolves afterword, but with Trevor constantly following them everywhere for a week, he did eventually start paying attention to them more.

"Then why hasn't he said anything?" Al asked confused.

"Honestly, Al, I don't know." Ed answered with a shrug.

Kai skidded around all of a sudden and turned towards a dark alleyway he was faster now but Ed and Al kept up once at the entrance of the alleyway they stopped and looked down the place…it was a dead end but it was not empty... Kai was growling furiously at a large black figure hidden in its shadows, which growled back in turn.

"Al, put up a wall." Ed ordered, clapping his hands together.

"Right!" Al did the same, and while he put up the wall, Ed turned his arm into a blade and stepped forward for a better look. The creature seemed to panic, looking for a way around him.

"There's nowhere to run" he told it. He wasn't quite sure why he bothered speaking to it, the phrase sounded harsh and cold. When Ed stepped closer Kai turned on him.

"Don't do that you idiot!" Kai snapped, "It's not what you think it is!"

"Get out of the way, Kai. This thing's killed innocent people-"

"Oh, so you're going to kill her just because she's different, is that it?!" Kai protested.

"What are you t-" Edward snapped.

"Brother!" Al's call brought Ed back to the matter at hand and he switched his attention back to the large shadow that was charging towards him. At the last second, Ed pushed Kai out of the way and put his guard up. Claws and teeth clashed with metal, creating a brief screech as the sheer force of the creature's tackle knocked Ed to the ground. Worried for his brother, Al clapped his hands and slammed them into the wall, creating a pillar that slammed into the creature's side and knocking it off of his brother. Ed scrambled back to his feet and clapped his hands, shoving them into the wall. Three new panels grew out of the wall while a fourth sprang from the ground, surrounding the creature in a box of stone.

Ed and Al heaved a sigh of relief and approached the box. They'd finally caught it…or, so they thought. Ed used alchemy to remove one of the new walls and get a better look at the thing, only to find that it was gone. There was a new door in the original wall that wasn't there before. It was an iron door, intricately decorated with leaves and vines. There were very fine marks on and around the door that suggested the use of alchemy.

"What the…" Ed whispered he was confused. _Could that thing use alchemy?_

"Even I could've told you that wouldn't work." Kai grumbled behind him.

Ed simply ignored him, he had just realized something. If he could understand Kai then that meant Sara must be nearby. It made sense. When Sara was nearby, he could understand everything her wolves said. When she disappeared, he couldn't.

Ed pushed open the door and ran in. On the other side was what appeared to be one of the abandoned work buildings, the windows were boarded up and the ceiling looked like it could give way any second. The room was barely lit, except for the occasional beam of moonlight leaking in through the planks on the windows. In one beam, the floor seemed to be moving slowly. It was a small, constant movement that would have been easily overlooked in the dark had Ed not known what to look for.

…

"What do you think she was doing there?" Al asked worried.

"I'm not sure, Al." Ed answered.

Ed and Al sat at the kitchen table the next morning while Sara still lay sleeping in the other room. Vince was down by the river, working again. He'd been dead set on making sure she was examined by a doctor. But with some persuasion, they were able to get him out of the house. Kai thought he was annoying and glad he was gone, as he had grown tired of staying quiet and out of sight while Vince was home.

Ed was actually starting to wonder if Sara had disciplined him enough as a pup. He sure as hell didn't act like he had, and should push come to shove, Ed was tempted to train Kai himself.

"I'm just curious as to why she ran off" he stated with a glance at her bedroom door. Kai was currently on his shift – they'd all decided that they'd take turns watching her throughout the night, and when morning came they'd be back on the road before Vince woke up, Al's shift had already ended, Kai's would be over in a minute or so, which left Ed on the last shift. He was waiting anxiously for Kai's shift to end, fiddling with a button on his vest. Ed didn't like the idea of Kai being left alone with her, not since the last time she'd seen him. Kai had hurt her, intentionally or not, and Ed didn't like him as much as he liked his brother, Trevor.

Trevor reminded him of Al, which was probably the reason why he liked him so much. But Kai desperately needed attitude adjustments. If something wasn't done soon Ed was going to let his temper fly, and it wouldn't be pretty. Ed had been fairly good at keeping his anger in check, ever since Kai had pounced on him earlier.

Kai came strolling out of her room at the end of his shift, looking just as ticked as before.

"Your turn, shrimp…" Kai muttered as he passed the brothers and went outside to sleep.

"Goodnight, brother." Al yawned as he headed off to their room.

"See you in the morning, Al." Ed said as he slipped into Sara's room, and they parted ways for the night.

Sara was sleeping with her back to the wall when he walked in, her covers kicked down to the end of the bed. He just smiled at her and rummaged through her suitcase. Sure enough, there he found her little stuffed dog right on top.

Ed pulled the covers back up to her shoulders and tucked the stuffed dog between her arms. She gladly cuddled it closer to in her sleep, and with the slightest smirk Ed grabbed a chair and took his post. It wasn't long before he drifted to sleep.

* * *

Well, there you go! X3 Episode 16! YAY! Finally done with it. Now I can start working on the next chapter!

**Ed:** Where's Al?

**Me:** He's visiting a friend in Australia…

**Ed:** …who?

**Sara:** You remember Reina don't you? X3

**Me:** Which reminds me, she'll be showing up in one of the future episodes, most likely in chapter 18. So be on the lookout peoples! See you next episode!


	18. Episode 17: Escape Attempt

I'm back! I have returned to my almost forgotten domain! I feel awful for being gone so long, guys. I finished high school, been through two years of college, and through that I've had a lot of personal stress so it hasn't exactly allowed me chances to sit and write this fic. But! I plan to return to this more often now that I have more time! So prepare to read more of this story over the next few months, cuz I'm back, baby!

**Ed:** That's comforting…

**Me: **Oh shush! Go make out with Sara.

**Ed & Sara: **_(blush)_

**Me: **Anyway, to the SHRIMPMOBILE! Enjoy! (runs away)

**Ed: **HEY! (chases after)

* * *

_**Episode 17: Escape Attempt**_

While Sara still slept, Ed and Al returned to the alley to if they could find anything that could them a hint or a clue as to where that thing had gone. Ultimately, they found nothing. It was like it had never existed. Since some of the reports had mentioned its appearance being a daily event over the past few months, however, they decided to stick around. They would stay for a week, and if nothing happened, they they'd be back on the road to Hyda again.

That week, Sara developed a small fever and queasy stomach. It left her mostly bedridden for their entire stay. Ed kept her company the whole time, Al occasionally dropping in to sit and share his findings. Al was continuing to look into the creature's disappearance while Ed watched over Sara.

"No one's seen it since we ran into in the alley," Al informed his brother, "So we may be able to leave a little sooner, if we're lucky."

"Sounds good to me, but let's keep an eye out till the week is over," Ed agreed.

Al nodded and left again, off to do more research. Sara's sudden illness passed right along with the week, and as before, there was no sign of the creature. The most exciting occurrence that week had been when Sara sat up quickly and yelled at Al to grab the phone; they'd forgotten to call Riza when they'd arrived.

Sara held the phone at arm's length, listening to the angry blonde on the other end as she fumed and raged.

"Riza, we're sorry! We've been busy since we got here! We were going to call but-" Sara tried to apologize but was interrupted by another rant about responsibility or something to that extent. It was hard to tell what she was saying when the phone was squealing in protest of her blazing volume level. "Riza, we really are sorry! ...Yes, I'm fine, I just caught a small cold this week…I will not drink orange juice, it's god awful stuff…Al is in the kitchen with Vince and Ed's right here with me…mmhmm…ahuh…ok, I'll tell him…I will, bye." Sara sighed as she hung up the phone.

"Tell me what?" Ed asked, feeling a little guilty after the sudden outburst.

"She said to tell you 'never do that to me again, Fullmetal, or you'll find yourself missing the rest of your limbs'."

"Oh…"

"She also said to call her again when we reach Hyda."

"Will do," Ed laughed slightly. He stood and walked towards the small closet, grabbing Sara's suitcase and setting it on the end of the bed, filling it with everything she'd unpacked. Sara watched him for a while – not having much else to do – finding herself staring at certain, visible parts of his body. Why such things caught her interest was beyond her. It wasn't something she normally did. Doing so now, she took notice of things she had never thought to pay attention to. She noticed that she could see the gleam of his automail through his white shirt when the light hit is just right, and the fact that she could see a slight outline of the muscles in his shoulders when his shirt pulled over them. She tried to stop there because her mind was starting to wonder what the rest of him looked like, and she wanted nothing to do with the mental images that were already swimming through her head. Sara looked away and concentrated her toy dog in the meantime.

Ed had had the feeling he was being watched but ignored it, knowing it wasn't something to worry over. "So, you ready to get out of here?" he asked, holding his hand out for her stuffed dog.

She kissed its nose before handing it to him with a smile. "You bet I am."

Vince was disappointed when they told him they had to go. He'd been hoping they would stay a little longer; he rarely had company and tended to feel lonely in his small home, all alone. But, they'd already stayed longer than expected and need to get on the road again. They thanked him for letting them stay there and said their goodbyes, quickly leaving Red River behind them.

It was another nice day, but it was quite dry. There hadn't been a drop of rain since they left Central. At least this time they'd been sure to stock up on food and water.

"So do you guys have any idea how long a walk we have ahead of us?" Sara asked. She knew exactly how long it would take to get there, but she was curious if they knew. Ed and Al stopped, looking at each other for a moment as if they were asking each other the same question.

"Uuuuh…" Edward was drawing a blank. Al just just laughed slightly.

"I thought as much," Sara said, "Alright then, from here onward, you two follow me. It'll be a long walk, so keep you're canteens ready."

And a long walk it was. They walked for hours down the dirt road, the only sign of civilization being the train tracks down the hill to their left. Out there, it was like those tracks were the only surviving piece. Sara didn't talk much, but she listened to the two brothers converse behind her while they walked. Subject matter varied periodically as they found one subject within another and switch over. It made her feel a little out of place. She used to travel alone when she was still taking missions, and would wish she had a traveling partner. Now that she had two, she wasn't sure what to say.

It was about 6:00pm when things picked up a bit. The sun was starting to set, and Ed and Al were ready to set up camp for the night.

"Hey, Sara, let's stop here for now. We can continue in the morning," Ed suggested.

"As long as there is light, we should keep moving," Sara said. She stopped, staring at nothing for a moment, before turning her head slightly toward the tracks. They followed her gaze and saw what had caught her attention. A cargo train was behind them, on its way to drop off various supplies to some far off town.

"A train; I wonder where it's headed?" Al wondered aloud.

Ed studied Sara carefully. Something told him she was getting ready to bolt at any moment. A grin spread across her face as she watched the train draw closer. "Whatever you're thinking, don-" Edward was about to warn her, but before he had a chance to blink she darted off down the hill, sprinting toward the train. "Hey!" Ed and Al sprinted after her, still annoyed by her inhuman speed. "Why does she keep doing that?" Ed yelled over the loud chutting of the nearing locomotive.

"Maybe she knows something we don't…" Al suggested.

"Yeah, or she has a death wish!" Ed yelled again as he watched Sara leap into one of the open cars of the train with deadly accuracy. Where she had learned to do that he'd never know, but it was getting on his nerves. "When I a hold of her, she's dead!" As they caught up, the last car of the train started to pass them by. It was now or never. Ed managed to grab a hold of the railing on the back and hopped on.

"Brother, help me up!" Al called to him, holding a gloved hand out to his brother. Ed grabbed his hand and hoisted him up, both panting and out of breath after the short marathon run. Ed laughed slightly. "Brother, are you ok?" Al asked, confused.

"Just thinking how a few years ago, this used to be you pulling me onto the train." Ed explained, heading into the car. Al thought about it a moment and smiled slightly as he followed Ed through the train.

Sara had been lucky enough to jump into an empty car. The only occupying it was a few large piles of hay. Compared to past experiences jumping trains, she'd hit the jackpot. Usually, she had no food, nowhere to sleep, and she'd be stuck with a car full of cattle or sheep. This time she had an empty car, something to sleep on, food, and no sticky animals that would threaten to crush her under their heavy hooves if she came to close. Now she could get home without two teenage boys holding her back. "And here I thought I'd never get some time alone…" Sara muttered to herself, sitting in one of the hay stacks. All she could do now was wait until the train stopped. Hopefully it would take a detour and stop in Hyda at some point. She could jump off then and head straight for her junkyard where her wolves waited for her. Settled in her temporary bed for now, Sara watched stars appear in the sky while landscapes fluttered by beneath them. Before going to sleep, she made a quick entry in her little book Roy had bought her (it was her official diary at this point), including a sketch of the brothers chasing after the train. Once she finished, she quickly nodded off and slept the night away.

"I'm telling ya, Al, she's doing this on purpose!" Ed complained as they made their way through the train.

"So what if she is, Ed? Perhaps this train goes past Hyda and she knows it'll get her home faster." Al reasoned.

"That doesn't matter, Al! I promised her I'd get her home safely and she still doesn't trust me. Not only that, if I lose track of her and she gets hurt, Mustang will blow my head off for disobeying orders, or at least his definition of it." Ed slid the next door open and was surprised to see he'd found her already.

"Well then it's a good thing you found her," Al whispered to him. Sara was already fast asleep. Neither of them was willing to wake her up, especially at such a late hour. Instead, they decided to get some sleep as well. It had been a long week with little to no sleep, and they needed the rest. So the brothers followed her example, settling into the nearest hay piles for the night.

The next morning was slightly unpleasant for the boys as once Sara woke up, she was angry at them for following her. They both woke up inside metal boxes alchemized from the train car, the only opening being some holes at the top so they could breathe. What frustrated Ed was that every time he tried to use alchemy to get rid of the box around him, the walls would only change shape.

"Dammit, Sara! This isn't funny!" Ed yelled at her once he was basically stuck in a metal bubble. Al had only tried once, and his turned into a cage of barbed wire. She was obviously not happy with either of them, but she took great joy out of frustrating Ed in particular.

"It might not be funny to you, but it's hilarious to me." Sara said from her corner of the car.

Most of the trip was spent like that, Ed yelling at her, Sara ignoring him, and Al just trying to think of a way to get them both out. It only took Al an hour to try talking her into letting him out and she eventually gave in. Ed, however, wasn't freed till he quieted down. They ended up staying another night on the train before it finally made a stop. Unfortunately for them, it was nowhere near Hyda in the slightest.

"Oh great! Just GREAT!" Sara grumbled in frustration, "Stuck in the middle of the FLIPPIN' desert with an alchemist and his stubborn bean of a brother! Can it GET ANY WORSE!"

"I'M NOT A BEAN!" Ed retorted.

"Oh, suuure you're not. You're just five foot something with an attitude and a head shaped like a shrimp when your hair is braided!"

"And how the hell would you know that?"

"I got bored one night, so sue me," Sara answered, pretending to inspect her nails.

"Well at least there's a chance I'll keep growing, unlike you," Ed shot back.

"Oooo you're just asking for it, aren't ya?" Sara threatened, turning her attention to him again.

"Bring it on, I need the practice," Ed smirked.

"Hey!" Al stepped between the two of them, pushing both of them away from each other, "Calm down, you two. You're both just irritated because it's hot and neither of you have eaten anything yet." This was very true. Apparently they hadn't packed enough food for the trip (again; someone really needs to pack them a bag of nothing but food) and due to the dramatic change in weather, plus the fact that they didn't have the appropriate clothing for the desert sun, it didn't take much to light the short fuse that the two of them seem to share…and it was only 9:30 in the morning. Once noon came around, they'd have to get out of the sun. "So let's concentrate on finding shade-"

"And something to eat," Ed and Sara grumbled, finishing his sentence. They glared at each other briefly. Al rolled his eyes and began pushing them into town. Al knew that they're bickering was just their way of hiding their feeling for each other, but this was getting ridiculous. He wished they'd just come out and say it, but that obviously wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

They wandered on through the town, hunting for restaurants and hotels. It reminded Ed and Al a lot of Lior before it was destroyed and restored two years back. The same yellow stone made up the majority of the buildings, and fountains dotted the streets every few blocks or so. One exceptionally large fountain graced the town square. This was the largest, most open space in the desert town, and it was the only patch of green for miles. A carpet of emerald grass spread out to the very edges of the square, a few palmettos and ferns scattered here and there. The fountain stood in the middle, a glorious relief from scorching sun above.

Sara wasted no time finding a spot by the fountain. She sat in the shade, leaning against one of the large trees nearby. Smiling, she turned her head up towards the sky, the sunlight trickling through the leaves to dance lightly on her skin. Edward rolled his eyes and sat leaning against the fountain, keeping a short distance between the two of them. Al sat in the grass with a sigh and glanced around him. It seemed like an average day for this town, whatever it was called. Most of the distant chatter came from the market down the street. Occasionally, children would run through the square, chasing and splashing water at each other from the fountains. I was peaceful here and a welcome break from the hectic events of the past few weeks.

Al was glad that they had someone else to travel with for a change. Granted, Edward didn't seem to agree with him, but Sara gave them some extra company and made things interesting. He'd often wondered why his brother wouldn't go out and have fun, or get a girlfriend at least. Then he'd remember that, at the time, there was no point. Half of the time they were traveling across the country, and Hitler was at large.

Ever since Sara came into the picture, Edward had calmed down a great deal. He tended to worry about her more than he argued with her…for the most part. I was strange how that worked out, but it was nice to see him making an effort around her.

Al sighed and looked up at the sky. _I almost don't want her to leave…_ he thought. Edward did seem to be happier around her…when they weren't arguing with each other. It was obvious they liked each other, whether they were willing to admit it or not. Al had the feeling they'd tell each other eventually, just when they would he couldn't be sure. Al had a feeling it would be a long day.

They decided after a while to take a stroll around the market, stocking up on food (properly this time) and water. With full stomachs by noon, Ed and Sara were content to walk around a little longer.

To Sara, the town was almost too good to be true; everyone was happy, friendly even. They were approached several times by various strangers, welcoming them to the town – Orand is what they called it – and asking how there day was. It was odd to her. Ed and Al were slightly unnerved by it as well, but they went along with it, not bothering to question things till they were somewhere private. Better to talk it over where no one could over hear.

Usually, people minded their own business on the streets, not talking to anyone unless they already knew them. But here, it was like everyone knew everyone else even if they were complete strangers. It wasn't right. Another thing that was noticeable but not as easy to pick on was the streets.

"It seems like the whole town is mapped out to look the same on every street," Ed thought allowed. They sat in the shade by the fountain again. They'd yet to find a hotel and it was too hot to keep walking around.

"And the people here are way too friendly," Sara added, a finger rested against her lips in thought while she stared at the grass.

"It could just be a nice little town, y'know," Al suggested.

"So you don't think there's something odd about it, Al?" Ed asked him.

"I didn't say that. It's certainly not average, but there's always a chance that they're just a really prosperous town with nothing to fear."

"That would be the ideal, wouldn't it…" Sara muttered.

"Well, for now, let's not dwell on it too much. We're only going to be here for a day anyway, that is unless we find more information on the attacks that occurred in Red River," Ed looked to them both, "For now, just keep an eye out for anything strange."

"That won't be hard," Sara commented.

"In a few hours, we can continue looking for a hotel. We need somewhere to stay for the night. Once we're settled, we'll get a map of the country and figure out how to get back to Hyda."

Al nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Ed nodded and looked to Sara when she stayed quiet, still staring at the grass. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Sara glanced at him. "Huh?"

"You seem lost in thought."

"…oh, it's...it's nothing." Sara wouldn't admit it, but she had a really bad feeling about this place. Something was off, she just couldn't be sure of what.

* * *

Well, there you have it! Episode 17! I know a lot of you have been anxious to read the next chapter, and thanks to my muse striking me in the back of the head, I'm finally back into writing this story!

**Ed: **And hey, it only took you a few years to write.

**Me:** Heeeey (points finger) watch it.

**Sara: **(whispers) Remember the wrath of the fanfic authors. Especially when she's had soda-

**Me: **WOOT! SODAAAAA! XD Anyway, please rate and review and we'll see you next chapter! Should be interesting~.


	19. Episode 18: A Haunting

_**Episode 18: A Haunting**_

Finding a hotel was much easier the next time they looked around. About three blocks down from the square, they noticed a hotel sitting where they could've sworn was a small shop. It certainly didn't look like it belonged in the market, so how had they missed it? Thoughts aside, they checked in and set their suitcases on the beds. It was a small room; it only contained an armchair, two beds, a bathroom, and some lanterns on the wall for light later in the evening. Apparently the owner of the hotel couldn't afford electricity since there were no electric lights anywhere in the hotel. Still, it was better than being stuck outside.

It was already late in the afternoon and the sun was at its hottest. No one was outside after three pm came around and the trio had wasted no time in heading inside.

Sara was still unnerved by the strange town. Her instincts were practically ordering her to run and get away from it as soon as possible. With the boys still wanting to check the place out, however, there was no chance she'd be able to convince them they needed to leave. An alchemist's curiosity was a hard thing to control; she knew that, and decided to keep quiet for now. Maybe she was only spooked because the people here were nice to her, something she wasn't used to. In any case, she was still going to keep an eye out, just in case.

"Well, with all the walking around we've done today, we've managed to get no new information from anyone here." Ed muttered sitting on one of the beds.

"Besides the weather and how some people's kids are doing…" Sara sighed, already lying on the other bed with her eyes covered. They sat in their hotel room, relaxing after a long day in the desert heat. Al sat in the armchair while the other two claimed the beds momentarily.

"It seemed like no one even knew other towns were being attacked. It's like they're isolated from everything." Al noted.

"Yeah, which is odd 'cause every town in the country gets the Central newspaper," Ed let himself fall back onto the bed, "There's no way they have no idea of what's going on around them."

They stayed silent a moment, trying to think of any alternative sources they might have missed. After a few minutes of silence past, Al stood and head for the door. "I'll go down to the front desk and see if they have a copy of the newspaper. Maybe we can find out what they do know."

Ed nodded. "Good idea," he sat up and looked to him, "I guess I'm staying here with Sara, then." He'd noticed that she'd been pretty quiet for several minutes and figured she was out cold. He couldn't blame her for passing out, he was exhausted as well.

Al nodded and smiled, "Don't do anything I wouldn't while I'm gone," he teased with a wink.

"W-What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ed stuttered in surprise.

Al chuckled and waved to him as he left, shutting the door behind him.

Ed huffed and lay back down. Really, he was too tired to retort properly. He stared up at the ceiling a while, not quite sure how much time passed as he let himself zone out, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

Hours passed as he and Sara slept, and when they woke up the sun was already high in the sky. Sara blinked as she sat up, covering her eyes to block out the sun. "How long were we out?" Her voice cracked slightly when she spoke, her throat dry.

Ed sat up and stretched. "I don't know," he yawned, "We should probably head out though."

Sara nodded and pushed herself out of bed, stretching her arms above her head.

Ed brushed a hand through his bangs with another yawn. "Hey Al, you ever get that newspaper?" he asked…No response. He glanced around the room and there was no sign of his little brother. Confused, he stood and checked in the bathroom; he might not have heard him ask. Upon looking, however, Al wasn't there either. Had he come back last night at all? Ed couldn't remember. "Sara…"

"Hm?" Sara glanced over at Ed, combing her fingers through her umber hair to brush out any tangles.

Ed turned to her, the slightest hint of worry in his eyes. "Did Al come back in the room last night?"

Sara thought about it a moment and shook her head. "I don't really know. I fell asleep while you two were talking. If he had I would've heard the door click."

...

"Where do you think he went?" Sara asked Ed as they wandered the streets. They'd checked the hotel from top to bottom when they realized Al hadn't returned from what should've been a five minute endeavor. There had been no sign of him and no note saying he'd gone back out that morning while they slept. When it became pointless to search the hotel, they made their way back onto the streets, checking alleyways, shops, even the square. Anywhere they thought he might be, they checked. There was still no sign of him.

Ed and Sara had been approached several times, while they were looking for Al, by all the same people they'd talked to yesterday. When Ed asked if they'd seen his brother and described him to them, they wouldn't answer. They just continued on their way, leaving the two confused alchemists behind them.

Ed shook his head, "I have no clue. For all I know, he could be on the other side of town, or heading back to Central-"

"Or he's been kidnapped…" Sara added sarcastically. Panic crossed his face again for the fifteenth time that afternoon. What she didn't know was that Al had been kidnapped before, several times, and his life had been much more fragile then. Sara sighed, "Geez, Shorty, stop being such a paranoid little girl…I'm sure he's safe. Probably, out getting food for all of us or something. He can take care of himself…don't worry so much."

Ed growled at her in response. She'd called him names all afternoon and he'd yet to respond to any of them how he usually did. Sara wasn't sure if it was because he was trying to ignore her, the effect was wearing off already, or if he was actually so worried that he didn't care. Whichever it was, he had her concerned now.

Edward sighed and stopped on a corner. "S-Sorry…" he muttered hesitantly, "I just don't want anything bad happening to him again." Sara frowned slightly. He'd told her that his brother had been trapped in a suit of armor back in Hyda and she'd heard tails of their travels from other people years when she'd traveled. Nothing specific about what the two had gone through ever came up though. Edward only gave a general outline of their travels, and everyone else dramatized everything they knew. She was curious about what they'd really endured, but she decided she'd ask another time. Edward glanced around them, finally noticing his surroundings for the first time in an hour. "…Where are we?" Sara blinked, confused, and looked ahead of them. Somehow, they'd wandered into an old, abandoned section of town. It was deathly silent except for the faint rumble of thunder in the distance. Storm clouds loomed overhead, tinting everything a dark gray. Windows were boarded up, shattered, or missing completely. Doors hung on one hinge or had long since fallen absent from their frames. The buildings were huge here and almost all the same height; they reminded the both of them of buildings seen in Hyda. There was an eerie feeling emanating from this place, and it was enough to spook both state alchemists.

"Ummm…Maybe we should-" Sara suggested, pointing a thumb back behind her.

"Yeah, good idea," Ed agreed. They turned to go back the way they'd came, but when they turned around, there was no sidewalk, no road, no cheerful street full of people behind them. There was nothing but a solid, gray wall.

"Ed…"

"Yeah?"

"Was that…?"

"No…" Ed inspected the wall briefly, trying to figure out where it had come from and where it ended. There was no sign that alchemy had created it, and the wall was connected to both buildings on either side of the street. There was no scaling it as it was; the wall was as tall as both buildings it touched. "Alright, no problem. I'll just open up a hole in the wall and we'll be out of here in no time," Ed stated confidently. "Stand back…"

Sara backed up a few feet and watched as he clapped his hands and touched the wall. They waited…and waited. Nothing happened. _De ja vu_, Ed thought to himself. Ed cleared his throat and turned to Sara. "How about you give it a try?"

Sara sighed and did the same, clapping her hands and trying to transmute a hole in the wall. Again, nothing happened. She gave it another try to be sure and growled slightly when nothing happened again. "Y'know what, Edward, this wall is starting to get on my nerves…"

"Well, while we're here, let's check this place out and see what we find. There might be another way out," Ed suggested.

Sara sighed, "Might as well…"

Ed and Sara wandered the streets for what seemed like hours, examining fallen buildings here and there, all the while searching for any sign of life. But everywhere they looked, it was like the people had just disappeared. Every building, every window, every alleyway was barren except for the decimated furniture and random debris that graced them. The alchemists never entered any buildings they checked; because of the atmosphere of this place, they were constantly on edge, feeling like something would jump out and attack them at any moment.

"How can an entire district be empty?" Sara pondered aloud. Ed gazed at the buildings as they passed them.

"…Maybe they were evacuated…"

"But what for?"

"Well, maybe the soil or the water is contaminated…it would make sense to clear out a section of the city so they can keep everyone safe," Ed suggested, "Of course, there's always the possibility that it's just an old piece of town that was going to be torn down."

"Then why didn't they do it?"

"Good question…" Ed stopped to get his bearings. He had the feeling they were going in circles for some reason, and it made him uneasy. "Uh oh…"

"Uh oh what? This isn't exactly a good time for 'uh oh,' Edward, if you haven't noticed." Sara rambled. She was obviously on edge and it was causing her to panic.

"I think we're lost…"

"LOST?" Sara yelled, causing Ed to flinch.

"Hey, watch it! I need that ear. Y'know, I'd think that a girl who turns her makeshift home into a labyrinth would be used to this kind of thing by now."

"Oh, well excuse me if I don't like getting lost in the old abandoned portion of a city that isn't FAMILIAR TO ME!" Sara yelled again, only to realize he'd stopped listening to her to stare at something to his left. "Are you listening t-"

"Who is that…?" Ed muttered. Sara turned to see what had caught his attention.

About a block away, someone was standing in the middle of the demolished dirt road. From where they stood, it appeared to be a little girl, but they couldn't be sure; their back was to them.

"Hey!" Sara called out to them, but received no answer. She called again, louder, thinking that they hadn't heard her. But again, no response came. They made no action that suggested she'd been heard at all. Sara balled her hands into fists, knuckles turning white with frustration. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" she yelled as she started toward the "girl."

Ed grabbed Sara's shoulder and yanked her back to his side. "Would you just calm down for 5 minutes?" he hissed.

"I AM CALM!" Sara shouted in his face. Her breathing was heavy and a growl rumbled in her chest every time she exhaled. This caught Ed off guard but he shook it off for now. She needed to relax; there was no way she'd be able to think straight if she let her emotions run rampant.

"Sara," he said in a soothing voice, "Normally, I'm one for losing my temper, you know that by now. But right now, it would probably be best if you took a few deep breaths and counted to ten." Al had had him do that several times before when they'd been traveling across Europe. It didn't always work, but he had to give it a shot. Besides, without Al there to keep the peace at that moment, one of them had to take on the role in the meantime. Sara glared at him and wrenched her arm out of his grasp. She huffed a few times and looked away, reluctantly doing as he suggested without acknowledging it verbally. It wasn't her intention to make him feel like he'd won a small battle with her, but Ed let a small, knowing smile escape him.

While she calmed herself down, Ed tried to get a better look at the small figure from where they stood. They had to be no more than five years old. He was sure of it. _But what is a kid doing out here… _he wondered. Something didn't feel right and that was probably what had Sara on edge. Even though she hadn't told him anything about it, he imagined after living with wolves for several years, she probably ran mostly on instinct. If so, her instincts were probably telling her that something was out of place and she should either fight the threat or run from it. Since running was out of the question, all that was left was to fight. But fight what exactly?

"Alright, I'm calm…as calm as I'm gonna get, anyway," Sara muttered, "So what now?"

"You stay here; I'll go take a closer look…" Ed whispered to her, already making his way over to the girl.

"What?-" Sara started to yell, but Ed gave her a warning look and put up one hand, motioning for her to stay put. She took offense to that and, though she did as she was told, glared at him in utter loathing. _How dare he treat me like some domesticated dog_, she ranted internally, _the next time he does that, I'll toss him into a wall!_

Edward slowly made his way over to the little girl, not wanting to frighten her. "Hey there," he greeted gently with a smile, kneeling down when he felt he was close enough, "What are you doing out here?" When she didn't move, he tried again. "You think you could tell me what happened here?"

"…death…" was the whispered response he was given. It seemed to echo in the dead air despite how quiet it was.

He frowned slightly, a chill running up his spine. "What was that?" he asked hesitantly. The girl turned her head to glance at him over her shoulder. Her long dark hair hid her eyes from him, but she seemed to be in some trance.

Fear hit Sara hard and fast like a punch in the stomach. Even from a distance, Sara could tell looking at the girl that she was dangerous. "Ed…" she called out to him hesitantly.

Despite how uneasy he felt, Ed tried again to talk to the girl. "Where are your parents?" he asked, reaching out a hand to touch the girl's shoulder.

As he reached toward her, the little girl's head continued to turn towards him, her body remaining still. This caused Ed to stand quickly and stumble back a few steps. What she was doing was not humanly possible. He watched as the girl's head continued to turn, her dark hair falling over her shoulders as she turned to face him, her body stationary. He could hear vertebrae pop in her neck as she finally stopped, resembling something like an owl looking behind itself. "…death…" she whispered again, the word ringing off the walls of the surrounding buildings.

"E-Ed, get away from her," Sara called to him again. Ed backed away slowly, eyes wide with shock. Nothing could alchemically, nor scientifically, explain what was happening and it frightened him.

The girl's voice echoed as she spoke again, a low hiss resonating in her throat. "...ruin is the fate of beasts and those who adore them…" A strange shadow seemed to surround the girl slowly, rising from the earth beneath her, slowly blowing her hair from her face, revealing a fanged mouth and hollow empty eye sockets. Where eyes had been, there was nothing but dark, empty pits. "…all. Shall. Die…"The hiss in her voice became louder as she took in a long, slow breath.

"ED, MOVE!" Sara screamed, dashing forward and grabbing his hand, yanking him in the other direction. Ed came to his senses and ran with her as they ducked into an alley. He glanced around the corner in time to see the girl's mouth open wide as she let out an unearthly screech. What was once dead air seemed to spin swiftly around her, picking up a lot of dirt before being blown outward with force equal to that of an explosion.

"GET DOWN!" Ed grabbed Sara quickly and hunkered down, burying her face in his chest and holding her close, his own eyes shut tight. The blast of air kicked up tons of dirt and was strong enough to cause the surrounding nearby buildings to collapse outward, the blast flinging any debris through the air. As quickly as it had occurred, it was over, and the little girl was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Ooooo! Cliffhanger~ X3 Haven't done one of those in a while. Heehee! Trust me, this part isn't over yet. There will probably be some action next chapter and I have a feeling it will be a long one, too.

**Ed:** You enjoy being creepy don't you…?

**Me:** Maybe~ but all I did was set up for the next chapter. There's more to come~.

**Sara: **I don't like the sound of that…

**Me: **You guys know what to do, rate and review! See ya next chapter!~


	20. Episode 19: Fright in Darkness

Wow…I've finally run out of prewritten story o.o; Looks like I'm working strictly from my mind for a while.

**Ed:** Good luck with that.

**Me: **Oh shut it XP Sorry this is so late guys. I've had a lot going on lately.

* * *

_**Episode 19: Fright in Darkness**_

Sara slowly opened her eyes, only seeing darkness in front of her. She blinked and backed up a bit; she'd still had her head buried in Ed's chest. She glanced to one side, seeing dust settling on the debris surrounding them. She turned her head and met Edward's cheek. Worry overcame embarrassment as she shook his shoulder. "Ed…Ed, you alright?"

Edward groaned slightly and opened his eyes, lifting his head so he could look around. "Geez…she sure knows how to make an impression…" he muttered.

Sara nodded. "Yeah, um…Ed?"

"Hm?" He looked to her.

She smiled nervously. "Could you get off me please? I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable." Sara was really starting to wonder how many times she was going to end up on the ground with Ed laying on top of her.

Ed blushed slightly, "Uh yeah, sorry…" He stood up and helped her up off the ground. Even before leaving the alley, they could tell the entire block was a mess. Some buildings no longer existed, and others remained only partially intact. Ed brushed the dust off of his coat as he looked around. "We should move on. If she's still around here, I'd rather not run into her again-h-hey!" Ed guarded his eyes as Sara shook the dust out of her hair.

"Sorry…ah..aah…achoo!" She sneezed and shook her head. "Stupid dust…"

Ed glanced around, trying to figure out which way to go. As far as he could see, each direction seemed to go on forever without end. He was starting to get tired of roaming around with no idea of where they were going. With a sigh, he walked over to where the girl had stood, trying to get a better view. Sara followed him, "Well, now what do we do?"

"We'll have to go inside." Ed kept looking around, there had to be at least one building taller than the rest in this creepy place.

"Inside…you mean in one of the buildings? Are you crazy?" Sara exclaimed, flinging her arms in the air, "Did you see what she just did? If she was waiting out here, I don't wanna know what's hiding in these buildings!"

"We don't exactly have a lot of options," Edward said, not even looking at her, "Only thing we can do now, that we haven't done, is check out one of the buildings in depth and find our way to one of the rooftops. If we get up high, we can see if there's a way out of here."

"Yeah or get pushed off…" Sara muttered.

"What's with you today?" Ed asked, picking a random direction and walking.

"I don't like this place," Sara stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I figured that out earlier. I want to know why." Ed stopped and turned to her; she hadn't moved. She looked away, hugging her arms where she stood. "…This place…" she looked around at the buildings surrounding them, "It gives me the creeps…" She looked back to Ed, "For me to have the creeps in any place is rare. Which means something isn't right here, and I want away from it."

Ed smirked. "So you're basically saying you're scared."

Sara growled and stomped past him, "Scared? Who's scared? Not me, that's for sure!"

Ed chuckled and caught up with her. "Well then let's head in one of these buildings and find our way to the roof."

Sara huffed, "Fine. Pick one."

Ed turned to the next building they came to; there were no doors or windows left to fill the gaps where they'd once been. "We'll go in here then. Stay close." Sara didn't say another word and followed him in. As they leaned through the door, all they could see was a large room and two dark halls on either side. Against the back wall was a counter. "I guess this was a hotel once…" Ed muttered to himself. Slowly, they stepped inside. There wasn't much to see; a little debris here and there, but nothing major.

Sara glanced from one hallway to the other. Neither one looked very inviting.

"_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood_…"

Sara glanced at Ed who was looking from one hall to the other, "Huh?" He glanced at her and smiled. "_Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference_. Its part of a poem by a man named Robert Frost (1). He'd become quite a popular poet on the other side of the Gate before we came back." Sara just stared at him and he chuckled slightly. "What? I guy can read poetry if he wants; it's not a crime y'know." Sara looked away, "I'm just surprised you would."

Edward shrugged, "Well, when you've read all the available alchemy, chemistry, and general science books, you start turning to the ones you usually overlook. Now," Ed looked to the two halls again, "Which road shall we take?"

"Well we can't split up, or I'd suggest you take one and I take the other," Sara mused aloud.

"That's true," Ed nodded, "Better we stay together at this point."

"Can't really take the least used one if we go by the poem, neither one has been used at all."

Ed looked to her. "How do you know for sure?"

She didn't look at him, "Just trust me, I know. I have sharp vision even in the dark, so I can tell just by looking at the dust coating the floor and walls in both halls. No one's been in this building in a long time."

Ed blinked. "Well you're an oddity."

Sara slapped him in the back of the head, causing him to double over as he held his head. "Ouch!"

"Come on, let's pick one already." Sara took a coin from her pocket and showed it to him. "Heads we go left, tails we go right." He nodded and watched as she flipped the coin and caught it in her hand. "Tails. Looks like we're going right."

Ed nodded and headed for the hallway to their right while Sara followed. The hall was long and dark; no windows had ever existed there and all lights above them had been smashed at one point. Ed kept his right hand against the wall as he walked slowly. He didn't want to end up falling down a flight of stairs; that would take them to the wrong part of the building. Sara stayed close behind him, inching closer and closer as they began to run out of light from the front.

"E-Ed..?" Sara whispered to him, practically against his back as they finally took a left turn at the back of the building and ran out of light.

"Yeah?" Ed answered calmly, focused on following the wall to try and find some stairs that lead up. Sara clung to his back and he stopped. "You ok?"

"Y-You know how I said I wasn't scared earlier?" she muttered. When she felt him nod his head and turn toward her a bit, she continued. "Well…I-I am now…"

Ed frowned slightly in the dark. Instantly, he thought back to the ball in Central. He'd realized then – when she'd passed out in the car ride back to the hotel – that she wasn't as tough and fearless as she made herself out to be. It was easy to forget that when she hopped trains, fought with him, and owned a pack of wolves that she considered family. He turned around, keeping one hand on the wall, and wrapped the other around her to hug her. She froze up as he held her close for a moment.

"We'll get out of this soon, I promise. Just hang in there for a bit, ok?"

Sara managed to relax slightly and nodded. She would've pushed him off of her in different circumstances, but considering where they were, she couldn't. If they got separated, they'd never get out of there.

Ed smiled slightly. "Want to hold my hand?" he teased, chuckling slightly. Sara growled and tried to glare at him in the dark. "You're lucky I can't hit you right now." Edward just chuckled and turned back around, "Put your hands on my shoulders, then." Sara grumbled but did what he suggested.

They walked a few more feet until they came to another left turn and continued further into the dark halls. The further in they ventured, the more uneasy they both became. Eventually, after what seemed like an hour of shuffling around in the dark, they came to a flight of stairs.

"Finally," Edward sighed with relief. "Ok, keep hold of me and watch your step."

Sara nodded and reluctantly held his free hand. Ed felt around for a railing and held onto it tightly, making his way slowly up the stairs. Once they reached the next floor, they moved away from the stairs and stopped for a rest.

"I'm starting to hate the dark," Ed complained, "but at least we found the stairs." Sara nodded and closed her eyes as they sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. "This would be a whole lot easier if I had materials to make a torch or something," he continued, trying to keep distracted, "But I can't see to find anyth-"

"Edward."

Edward stopped and turned his head towards her voice. "What?"

"Close your eyes…and please change the subject," she suggested as calmly as she could manage. He was silent for a moment before closing his eyes.

"Ok, what to?"

"Anything that has nothing to do with right now would be great…"

Ed thought for a moment, trying to think of something that could help distract her. He could hear her breathing speed up the longer he took to think, and he imagined her heart rate was doing the same. "Tell me something." Sara turned her head in his direction a bit. "Back in Hyda, when we were in the market, you changed your hair and eye color before removing your hood. Why?"

Sara hesitated. She hadn't told him yet, and she'd hoped he would forget. She sighed and squeezed his hand lightly. "I'm not exactly welcome in my hometown…"

"What do you mean?"

"The entire city hates me; everyone, excluding Charis, Kayla, and my uncle. I can't walk around the city without having death threats thrown at me all the time. So, I use my alchemy to change my appearance," she explained.

"But that's human transmutation. I can understand changing hair color; I've done it myself once. But I had to incorporate water. How can you change your appearance without altering yourself on a genetic level?" Edward asked, confused. Theoretically, it could be possible to increase or decrease the amount of melanin present, he thought, in order to change the color that was visible. But that would require having the protein available in order to do so, and if she did so as often as he thought, then there was no way she could do so without causing some sort of damage to herself. So how was it possible?

"I don't know," Sara shrugged, "I've been able to do it since after I lost my sister. I guess its part of what I gained for the price I paid…"

He nodded; it made sense. The Gate had shown him a great deal of information before, but there were still bits and pieces he didn't know. "Well then, how is it the city hates the real you and yet loves who you are when you change appearances?"

"I alter the way I act and speak when I change looks. For instance, the one you saw. Though I'm your age, I act older – more mature – and I'm quieter. I make sure each movement is slightly slower and gentler, and I soften my voice. If I disguised myself like Riza, all I'd have to do is act like her and no one would know unless they'd met her before."

Edward chuckled slightly.

Sara growled, "And it's not because I'm short..."

"I never said that," Ed chuckled. "I just can't see you acting like Hawkeye."

Sara was silent a moment before squeezing his hand lightly. "If I wanted, I could make myself look like you. We're about the same height, and if I bound my chest, I could pass off as you easily."

"I doubt that."

"Why?"

"Well, unless you can change your voice, it wouldn't be convincing once you started talking," Ed pointed out.

Sara smirked, "When we get out of here, I'll prove you wro-" she stopped mid-sentence and opened her eyes. By now they had adjusted enough that she could see down the hall.

Ed frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"

"I heard something…" Sara was starting to get uneasy again.

Ed opened his eyes and looked to her. He could see the fear on her face now that his eyes had adjusted. "What did you hear?"

"Movement…" she looked towards the stairs they'd climbed earlier. "Back the way we came…"

Ed stayed silent, listening closely as he sat motionless against the wall. When he heard a strange shuffling, he jumped up and pulled her up with him, looking toward the stairs. He started backing up, slowly making his way down the hall. When the shuffling became louder and rushed sounding, he jolted and started running the other way, never letting go of Sara's hand. Whatever the noises were coming from, it wasn't far behind them, and neither of them wanted to stick around to find out what it was.

They followed the hall as they ran, looking for another flight of stairs so they could start seeing light again. Neither of them dared look back at what was chasing after them, for fear was causing instincts to kick in and they were running for their lives.

Sara managed to keep up with Ed as they ran; she didn't want to fall behind and she did NOT want to be anywhere near the thing behind them. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they raced up the stairs, the sound filling their ears. It was gaining fast and they needed to hide. When they finally came to a new flight of stairs, they sprinted up the steps two at a time, holding on tight to each other's hands.

"I see light!" Ed exclaimed as they reached the top of the stairs. "Finally!" Sara exclaimed. They ran for the source – an open room – and dodged inside, shutting the door and locking it. In a panic they both clapped their hands and touched them to the wall, filling the doorway with the surrounding wall. Within seconds, it looked like the door had never existed. They both backed up to the middle of the room and waited. Through the wall, they could hear the faint shuffling of whatever was following them. It sounded large and lingered in that hallway for some time. After several minutes of silence, whatever was in the hall moved on to search the rest of the building. Once they were sure it was gone, both Ed and Sara relaxed and started breathing again. Sara got on her knees and hung her head, panting slightly. "What the flip was that?"

"I don't know, but let's hope it doesn't come back." Ed looked to her, his own breathing a bit heavy from the earlier run. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed and hesitantly pulled her backwards by her hips, making her plop onto his lap.

"What are you doing?" she squeaked quietly, embarrassed.

"I'm just giving you somewhere more comfortable to sit, geez," he answered, the smallest amount of annoyance in his voice. "Relax would you? I'm not like Mustang who looks for excuses to touch a woman."

She looked away from him, blushing furiously. On one hand, she was in an embarrassing situation and wanted to shove him away. On the other hand, he was comfier than the floor and she felt safer where she was. Sara sighed and leaned back against him. He chuckled slightly and glanced around at the room around them. Most of the floor was covered in wood splinters that had grayed with age. It had probably been a dresser of some sort was his only guess. There was a lot of rubble behind them that had fallen inward from the hole in the far wall, the only source of light in the room. He could see outside and it seemed like nothing had changed while they were lost in the halls. A brass-frame bed, folded in on itself, sat in the corner to his right and a few empty picture frames lay shattered on the floor throughout the room.

"Well, it's not luxurious," Ed joked slightly, trying to lighten the mood, "but at least we're safe here for the moment."

"We're not safe till we're out of this place…" Sara muttered. She was looking up at the ceiling, listening for any movement.

Ed glanced up at the ceiling and turned his head back to her, watching her carefully. Her eyes seemed to be following something he couldn't see, and when he kept still he heard nothing. Every now and again, she tilted her head in on direction or the other, listening. Her senses seemed unusually sharp. She was obviously hearing something he wasn't or she would've settled within a few minutes. Sara never let her guard down though. She sat rigid on his lap; legs taught and ready to run at a moment's notice.

They sat there for several minutes, just letting their hearts settle again. Once they were both calm again, Sara stood and stretched, glancing around the room. "Well, now what?" she asked.

Ed stood, "I don't know. I can't really go back into the hallway."

"You couldn't get me back out there, that's for sure," Sara commented.

"Problem is, we need to keep heading up," he turned to hole in the wall, "and the only way up other than stairs is through this and up the side of the building."

Sara treaded lightly across the rubble in front of the hole and looked out. They were higher up than they'd thought, and the sudden drop was not very welcoming. "We don't have any other choice I guess. Too bad I don't have my gauntlets with me, though. I could've made the finger tips into hooked claws and we could've climbed up no problem," she glanced up at the height they would have to climb. It was a long way up.

Ed glanced around the room. They didn't really have a lot to work with. Dried wood wouldn't do them much good, especially in small amounts, and making stairs up the outer wall could make the building even more unstable than it already was. The bed seemed to be the only thing they had. "Well, we can always, try using the metal from this bed frame," he suggested, walking over to the sagging bed to inspect its bent frame, "Problem is, I don't know how much of it can be used."

Sara trotted over to take a look and rested and hand on the brass frame. "Hmm…I might be able to do something with it." With a couple swift tugs, she managed to pry the mattress out and set it on top of the rubble nearby. They glanced over it, calculating in their heads about how much metal they had to work with. "I think this'll work," she nodded to him.

"It should," Ed agreed, "If it doesn't though, we'll have to come up with something else." Sara nodded. They only had so much to work with and it wasn't going to be easy coming up with a better idea at this point.

Sara sighed, "Alright, here goes nothing." She clapped her hands and rested them on the bed frame, light leaping forth at her touch. It shone brightly for a few seconds before the light dissipated and revealed a pair of grass gauntlets, a lot like the ones sitting is Sara's suitcase back at the hotel. "These should do, but we can't waste time. I don't know how long they'll last."

Ed nodded and picked one up, slipping it onto his left hand and flexing his fingers a little in the brass finger plates. Sara took the last and did the same before transmuting the fingers of the gauntlet and her automail into long hooked claws. Ed blinked; they looked like they were meant for killing not climbing…and something about her clawed automail seemed familiar. Sara looked to him and noticed he was staring at her. "What?"

Ed shook his head, "Nothing…" He transmuted his own gauntlet and hand into something similar and looked to her. "Let's get out of here."

She nodded and walked over to the gaping hole in the wall looking up towards the roof. She glanced at the nearest wall and edged her way over to one side, Ed moving to the other side and watching her carefully. She held out her left hand and hooked the claws on the wall, practically stabbing them into the brick. When she tugged a few times and the held firm, she unhooked her claws from the wall and used her right hand to grip the edge so she could reach out further and hook them in again. Once she sure, she let go of the edge and quickly hooked her right hand in the wall and placing her feet under her.

Ed stared at her. She looked like an animal on the side of a tree. She turned her gaze to him and motioned for him to follow. He turned to the wall next to him and hooked his left hand on the edge and hooked the claws of his right on the wall. They held firm, to his surprise, and he let go of the edge to hook his left on the wall. His feet slipped a little against the wall, but he managed to get them under him and looked at her. She chuckled slightly, "Now just start climbing and don't look down." Without another word, she turned her attention to the wall in front of her and started climbing up, clawing her way up the wall slowly. Ed watched her for a few seconds before trying it himself. It wasn't as easy as she made it look. It took a lot of upper body strength to pull himself up and hook the claws a little higher on the wall. She was definitely stronger than she looked, of that he was sure.

They made their way up slowly, not wanting to slip and fall. It felt like thirty minutes passed as they climbed. Ed eventually caught up with her, and glanced at her every now and again. She was definitely strange, but if she hadn't hidden from the military she could've been a valuable soldier, probably one of the best. Yet here she was, just trying to get back home. He could understand not wanting to be used like a weapon by the higher-ups, but with the skills she possessed, she could easily move up in the ranks if she wanted to. So what was stopping her?

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, they both hooked the edge of the roof and pulled themselves over the edge. They laid there for a minute, panting slightly as they allowed their arms to rest while they stared at the sky.

They glanced at each other and chuckled. They'd made it to the top. The pair sat up and looked around. Almost all of the rooftops they could see were the same height as the one they were on, creating and endless field of rooftops that resembled dry, cracked earth. One building a couple blocks away stood a few stories higher than the rest. "Well, we know where we're going next," Ed grinned. Sara nodded, "Think we'll be able to see anything from up there?" Ed nodded, "Yeah, hopefully. If we don't, we'll just have to come up with a new plan."

Ed stood and transmuted his automail and gauntlet back to normal. He helped Sara up and she did the same. "Good thing we left our coats behind…" she mused, "It would've been even harder to climb with them on." Ed nodded in agreement and glanced around. "Well, I guess we're jumping roof tops for a bit." "But at least two of the roads on the way over are too wide to jump. How are we going to get over them?" Sara asked. Ed shook his head, "I don't know. I guess we'll see what we can come up with when get to them. If anything, we'll have to risk it and make path out of the wall from one roof to the other." Sara didn't like the sound of that, but they didn't have a lot of choices anymore. If it came down to it, they'd have to take some huge risks. There was no turning back at this point.

* * *

So, sorry about this taking longer than planned. I got distracted by school and such XP And I've been through a lot lately. But it's finished, and hopefully the next chapter won't take near as long to write. Still doing this all off the top of my head though.

**Al: **Where did I disappear to?

**Me: **Oh, you're around. Give me time to get the next chappie written ;3

**Al: **Ok! Don't forget to rate and review! :3 See ya next chapter!

(1) = The snippets of poetry here are taken from Robert Frost's _"The Road Not Taken"_, which was published with some of his other works in 1916 in his third collection of verse titled _MOUNTAIN INTERVAL_. Given the timeline of the beginning of my fanfic, I figured it fit quite nicely.


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